Consequences
by Neurotica
Summary: Complete and Revised. AU. Sequel to Lies. The second war with Voldemort has begun. Remus is missing. Sirius is going stircrazy. Harry's on the verge of death. Will anyone survive this nightmare? Warning for strong language in some chapters. Pre-DH.
1. One

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything you recognize from the Harry Potter universe. That privilege belongs solely to JK Rowling.

* * *

**Consequences**

By Neurotica

_One _

_On a warm, breezy day in late June, seven friends sat together in the shade of a large beech tree, overlooking the lake at Hogwarts. In less than a week, they would leave the place they'd come to think of as home and enter the world as fully qualified witches and wizards. The friendships formed between these seven students had been nearly seven years in the making—their entire Hogwarts career. The three newest additions to the group only stopped despising the majority of the other four at the end of sixth year._

_Sirius Black lay on his back, one arm cradling his head, the other around a pretty brown-haired witch called Julia Sedler. The couple both had their eyes closed, with Julia's head resting comfortably on Sirius' chest, enjoying one another's presence._

_Beside them were Remus Lupin and his girlfriend Naomi Watts. Leaning against the tree trunk, the two read that day's edition of the _Daily Prophet_. To Naomi's left were James Potter and Lily Evans. Lily had her head across James' lap while James watched the giant squid splash a group of third years. Across from James and Lily sat Peter Pettigrew looking around for something exciting to happen._

"_Disgusting," Remus spat, tossing the _Prophet_ to the grass._

"_What?" muttered five voices._

"_Another Muggle family's been murdered," Naomi said quietly. "Death Eaters tortured them—including the children—then burned down their house... with them in it... alive..."_

"_Bloody hell," Sirius muttered, sitting up as Julia did the same._

"_When's this going to end?" Lily asked, picking the newspaper up._

"_When there's a miracle," James said. "The Ministry's not doing anything to stop this shit. They've let Voldemort get a good hold on this, and now..." he trailed off, shaking his head._

"_There's got to be something or someone fighting this guy..." Julia said. "We've lasted this long, haven't we?"_

_Right at that moment, a fifth year Gryffindor ran to the group, panting for breath. "Professor... Dumbledore wants to see you all..." he breathed. "Now."_

"_All of us?" Naomi asked with a raised eyebrow. The boy nodded._

"_Thanks, we'll be right there," Lily said, sitting up next to James. Once the boy was out of earshot, she glared at the Marauders. "What did you four do now?"_

"_Nothing!" they said together. The girls each raised a simultaneous eyebrow. _

"_Honestly!" Sirius insisted. "We haven't done anything since that toilet incident in the Slytherin dorms last week." James and Remus grinned and sniggered until their girlfriends slapped them._

"_Well, let's go see what Dumbledore wants," Julia said. _

_The seven friends stood and began to cross Hogwarts grounds. There was nothing they could think of that any of them had done—and had not already been punished for—that would warrant a visit to the headmaster._

"_Prongs," Sirius muttered, catching up with his best friend, whispering so the others wouldn't hear. "You think he knows about... er... our secret?"_

_James looked worriedly over his shoulder at Remus and back to Sirius. "No. If he did, why would he want the girls, too?"_

_Sirius sighed, nodded, and led the way to Dumbledore's office. The stone gargoyle was wide open, revealing the spiral staircase. The students stepped up, single file, and hesitantly made their way upwards._

"_You're Head Boy," Sirius said to James, staring at the closed wooden door. "You knock."_

"_You've been here more than I have, even as Head Boy," James countered._

"_Yeah, but—"_

"_Move out of the way." Lily sighed, pushing her way past the two boys. Using the golden lion-shaped knocker, Lily knocked twice on Dumbledore's door._

"_Come in," called the headmaster's familiar, welcoming voice. "Ah." Dumbledore smiled as the students entered his office. "Come in, come in, have a seat."_

_Sirius and James exchanged a slightly startled glance with Remus as they spotted Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody standing beside Dumbledore's desk. The seven students sat in chairs arranged in front of Dumbledore's desk, still not quite sure what to think._

_Sirius craned his neck around Julia and Naomi to look at Remus. It seemed Remus was worried as well. Maybe Dumbledore really had found out about the Marauders' illegal achievements and Moody was there to arrest them...?_

"_I am sure you are all curious as to why you are here," Dumbledore said. His students nodded slowly. "Not to worry, you're not in trouble. Unless there is something Professor McGonagall has yet to inform me of, that is..." His eyes twinkled hypnotically as Sirius, James, and Remus offered shaky grins—Peter was petrified in his chair. _

"_I've asked you all to be here this afternoon to ask something of you." Instantly, Sirius noted, the humor in his eyes was gone. "In a week, you will no longer be Hogwarts students, thus, you will no longer have the protection Hogwarts may provide you. I know you've all kept a very close eye on the progress of this war. A few of you have already lost close family to the war."_

_James and Remus glanced quickly at one another and down to the carpeted floor simultaneously. "What, then, do I wish to ask of you? _

_"Four years ago, I began an alliance among some of my very close friends. This alliance has grown over the years, and we now remain the only line Voldemort has yet to cross in his goal of achieving total power. As the years go by, however, Voldemort has been gaining strength—as you all very well know—and we are losing more and more to his cause._

"_I have watched the seven of you grow since your first day here. A few of you have seen this office more than any other student in this school." His lips twitched as he watched the Marauders fight not to grin at each other. "I've watched you all become some of the best witches and wizards to ever walk these corridors. Each of you has his or her own strengths—yes, even yourself, Mr. Pettigrew," Dumbledore added at Peter's surprised look._

"_I am asking you now to join this alliance. With your help, I believe this war can be ended. I ask nothing more from you than what you can put forth, for your loyalty, and your willingness to help fight Lord Voldemort._

"_I also ask that you decide today, within this office. If you decline this offer, which you are certainly free to do, I will have to perform a memory charm on you. I'm certain you will understand," Dumbledore finished, leaning back into his chair, fingers crossed under his long silver beard._

_Throughout Dumbledore's entire speech, Sirius, James, and Remus had communicated silently with one another about what they wished to do. They used only their eyes—the three of them could read each other so well, that was all they needed. Sirius turned in his chair and whispered something inaudible to Julia. She nodded solemnly. James and Remus turned to Lily and Naomi respectively, whispering to them. The girls looked at one another and nodded. Lastly was Peter. It took a moment for any of the other Marauders to even catch the small boy's eye. He looked terrified—something the other Marauders were quite used to seeing. After a long staring contest with Sirius, Peter sighed and nodded. Sirius nodded back and turned to James, gesturing for him to speak for the group._

"_We're in," James said promptly. "All of us. We'll do whatever it takes to end this war."_

"_I had a feeling you would say that," Dumbledore said, bowing his head respectively to his students. "I welcome you, then, to the Order of the Phoenix."_

* * *

"Sirius... you all right?" Kingsley Shacklebolt said tentatively, watching his boss's reaction to Dumbledore's news.

Sirius' face was completely void of all emotion. There was no sign he'd even heard what the Headmaster had said. He remained standing, staring blankly at the fireplace where Dumbledore's head still floated in the orange flames, watching everything that was happening in the kitchen of Order Headquarters.

Sirius' head was filled with a loud buzzing, not allowing him to fully comprehend what he'd just been told. It couldn't be true. Dumbledore's information had to be wrong... But somehow, Sirius just couldn't convince himself of that. Somehow, he knew Dumbledore wasn't wrong.

Blindly, Sirius reached out for a chair and sank heavily into it. A goblet with residue from a potion fell out of his hand to the floor, and rolled under another chair. Remus had assured Sirius that he would be okay on this mission. He'd sworn that he would be careful and vigilant. Dumbledore was supposed to have the best tracking charms possible over Remus and Emmeline.

At this thought, Sirius' head snapped back to the fireplace. "What happened to the charms?" he asked sharply.

Dumbledore remained silent for a moment, as if he was readying himself and Sirius for what he was about to say. "A tracking charm—no matter how powerful—can be broken." Before Sirius could open his mouth to ask what the hell Dumbledore was on about, the headmaster continued, "The tracking charm that I performed on Remus and Emmeline can only be broken if the person it is performed on has stopped breathing."

_That would mean..._ Sirius thought, trying to work it out in his mind. "No," he said defiantly. "You're wrong..."

Dumbledore had to be lying, Sirius decided. There was no possible way that Remus could be... No, Dumbledore had bad information. A wand and a travel bag were his only evidence—anyone could have a wand that _looked_ like Remus' or a travel bag that _looked_ like Emmeline's. What made Dumbledore so sure the items belonged to them? Before Sirius could ask this question aloud, a scream cut through the house, setting off Sirius' mother on the first floor.

"Harry..." Sirius muttered. Without another word, the Auror flew up the kitchen stairs, ignoring his mother's insults, to the second landing. Molly Weasley was standing before Harry's door, trying—but not succeeding—to get in.

"Sirius, I can't get to him!" Molly said, panicked.

Sirius didn't reply. He pushed Molly away from the door a little more roughly than he'd intended, tapped the doorknob sharply with his wand, and burst into Harry's bedroom. The fifteen-year-old was thrashing wildly on his bed, screaming in horrendous pain. Without hesitation, Sirius ran to his godson's side, pinning down his arms to avoid injury to either wizard. "Harry!" he shouted over the boy's screams. "Harry! Wake up!"

Sirius looked back to the doorway where Molly was pushing her children, who had undoubtedly been awoken by the noise, out of the room. Dumbledore appeared behind Molly. "Albus, do something!" Sirius pleaded, struggling to hold Harry to the bed.

Calmly, Dumbledore entered the room and crossed over to the bed. He pointed his wand at Harry and murmured a few inaudible words. A white ball of light left Dumbledore's wand tip and hit Harry directly in the chest, with an immediate result: Harry relaxed against his pillows, breathing heavily, sweating profusely, but still asleep.

Sirius watched Harry for a moment before turning to Dumbledore. "What was that?" he breathed, wide-eyed.

"I believe it was a reaction to a poison," Dumbledore said quietly, not taking his eyes off Harry. "Has Harry had anything to eat or drink in the last few hours?"

Sirius got his own breathing under control before answering. "Yeah... Just before I came back into the kitchen... I walked him up here... He said Molly left him a potion..."

Dumbledore and Sirius turned at the sound of a small whimper to find Molly, Arthur, Kingsley, and a newly awoken Tonks standing just inside the door. Molly was chalk-white. "I didn't leave Harry any potion, Sirius..." she said, shaking her head.

Sirius blinked. "Pomfrey, then. When she was here... she must have left him a potion," he said hastily, trying not to panic.

"Pomfrey never left the kitchen, mate," Kingsley said carefully.

"Then—who—in—the—bloody _hell_—left—the potion?" Sirius asked through gritted teeth. "Who poisoned my godson?" he yelled, his voice breaking slightly.

"Sirius, we will find out what happened to Harry. I promise," Dumbledore said. "But right now—"

"You promise, eh? Just like you promised that Remus would be safe?" Sirius said loudly. "I want to know who was in here before Harry came to bed. And I want to know what was in that goblet."

"Where is the goblet now, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Rolled under the table," Sirius muttered, swallowing a large lump that had formed in his throat as he looked back at Harry.

Arthur left the room immediately to retrieve the goblet while the others looked from Harry to Sirius, wondering how much worse their night could possibly get.

When Arthur returned ten minutes later, he tried to pass the goblet to Dumbledore, but Sirius snatched it from his hand. Without a word to anybody, Sirius left the room, passed a horrified group of Weasley children, and went down the stairs. He didn't trust himself to Apparate without splinching himself, so he went to the kitchen and Flooed to the Ministry of Magic.

Eric the security wizard sat behind his desk reading a copy of _Witch Weekly_ _Swimsuit Edition_ as Sirius practically ran down the halls to the lifts. He punched the button to take him to the DMLE floor and cursed the lifts for being so bloody slow. Finally, the grilles slid open and he sprinted full force down the corridors, nearly passing the door he needed. Sliding to a halt, Sirius pulled open the door that lead to the Ministry's holding cells.

Sitting at a small desk, nearly asleep, was one of the newer Aurors. At that moment, Sirius couldn't be bothered to remember the boy's name.

"Hey, boss," the boy said, jerking his head up at the sound of the closing door. "What're you doin' here so early..."

Sirius ignored him, moved swiftly past the desk, and began to search the cells for the person he needed to speak with.

At the very end of the corridor, Sirius found him glaring out of the bars. "Stand up," Sirius said to the prisoner. "We're going to have a little chat." With a tap of his wand, Sirius opened the cell's door and led a very angry Severus Snape to the interrogation rooms.


	2. Two

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Two_

Sirius pushed Snape through the door of the DMLE interrogation room with a sharp prod with the tip of his wand. He slammed the door shut and gestured roughly for Snape to sit in one of the metal chairs.

"Isn't it procedure to have two _experienced_ Aurors question a prisoner?" Snape asked scathingly.

Sirius' only reply was to jam his wand into Snape's throat, nearly cutting off the other wizard's windpipe. "Don't screw with me, Snivelly. I am not in the mood. I'm only here because it's an emergency. Once I leave, you can rot in here with your fellow bottom-feeders for all I care," he growled.

Snape's reaction was to raise an eyebrow. "What sort of emergency, Black? Has Lupin finally put us all out of our misery and killed himself?"

Without warning, Snape found himself on the cement floor, the right side of his head throbbing horribly. Above him, Sirius was panting heavily, his face red with anger. "I warned you," he said in a carefully controlled voice, feeling a bit better from unleashing some of his anger. "Now," he said, relatively calmer, "you're either going to help me, or I'm going to add to the charges you've been brought in on. Your choice."

Snape sneered. He'd rather digest rat poison than help Sirius Black—though, he had done it many years ago when the Potter boy had been kidnapped—but he was no help to Dumbledore locked up in the Ministry... "What do you want?" Snape asked coldly, pushing himself from the floor.

"What is this?" Sirius asked, taking the goblet from the insides of his robes and practically slamming it down on the metal table. The sound of the impact reverberated dully off the stone walls.

Again, Snape merely raised an eyebrow, but reached out to pick up the goblet. He sniffed the residue without gagging as Sirius had, and raised his eyebrow higher. "Where did you get this?" Snape asked softly.

"It was on Harry's bedside table. He drank it," Sirius said, watching Snape carefully.

"He drank this?" Snape asked.

"Yes. What is it?"

Snape sighed irritably and winced as another throb of pain traveled through his jaw. "Unless I am mistaken—which I am not—this is a variance of the Draught of the Living Dead. You do know what that is, Black?" Sirius didn't answer. "Well, I will just assume you do not. The Draught of the Living Dead puts the drinker into a deep, most times irreversible sleep. This potion differs only in the sense that it kills the drinker much more quickly, and with much more pain involved. How long ago did Potter ingest it?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sirius responded quietly. "Four, maybe five hours ago."

"The potion completes its progress in twenty-four hours time," Snape said lightly.

"Is there an antidote?" Sirius asked hoarsely.

"There is," Snape answered, examining his fingernails.

Gritting his teeth, Sirius did something he never thought he would do.

"Can you prepare the antidote for me?"

"You mean, there is something the almighty Sirius Black cannot do on his own?" Snape said in mock-surprise. "Alert the _Daily Prophet_!"

"Dammit, Snape!" Sirius yelled, hitting the wall with his fist. "Just make the damn potion and stop being such a bloody git!"

"Well, I can hardly prepare any sort of potion in this atmosphere," Snape said, gesturing to the room.

"I'll take care of it," Sirius said through clenched teeth. "Will. you. make. the. potion?"

"As much as I know I will regret it, I don't believe I have any other choice in the matter, now do I?" Snape said.

Sirius nodded and tossed an Invisibility Cloak in Snape's direction. "Put it on and stay close to me. We can't Apparate or portkey out of here, obviously, so we'll have to go to Auror Headquarters."

Snape curled his lip at Sirius' orders. As he'd said, he had no other choice in the matter; Sirius was armed, Snape was not. He wrapped himself in the cloak and disappeared before Sirius' eyes.

Sirius led the way out of the DMLE holding area, past the young Auror who seemed quite alarmed at Sirius' sudden change in behavior, and across the hall to Auror Headquarters. There, Sirius charmed a paperweight on one of the desks to create a portkey and waited for Snape's pale, bony finger to reach out and touch it.

Sirius' feet slammed into the kitchen floor of Number Twelve as the Invisibility Cloak slipped from Snape's head. Resisting the swelling urge to hit Snape a second time, Sirius looked around the kitchen to find Dumbledore, Kingsley, Tonks, and all of the Weasleys except for Molly waiting for him.

"Snape's making a potion for Harry," Sirius muttered, pushing his way through the group before any questions could arise, and going up the stairs to his godson.

He entered Harry's room to find Molly and Madam Pomfrey bent over the boy, testing him with their wands, feeling his temperature, listening to his heart... Sirius pulled out a chair and sat in it backwards, his arms folded on the back, his chin resting on his arms, and watched.

In less than an hour, Sirius' world began to collapse around him again—just as it had when Harry had been stolen from him nine years ago. He wouldn't believe Remus was dead until he had more proof than just a wand. And he wouldn't lose Harry without a fight.

The potion hadn't just appeared out of thin air on Harry's beside table; someone had put it there. But who inside Number Twelve could possibly want to harm Harry? Percy came to mind, for some reason, for a split second, but the third eldest Weasley son hadn't been seen since the previous day—unless it had been him Sirius had seen in Diagon Alley during his duel with Bellatrix. But no, Percy wouldn't have the audacity that it would take to harm Harry with Sirius in the house...

Maybe one of Harry's friends tried to concoct a potion and it just went wrong? No, they would have admitted it immediately—even Fred and George. Tonks couldn't have prepared a potion without blowing all of Number Twelve to pieces. Kingsley and Arthur were with Sirius the whole night. Molly didn't do it. Kreacher was...

Sirius' eyes widened. "No way..." he muttered, standing slowly from his chair, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Sirius?" Molly asked, looking away from Harry.

Sirius locked his jaw and strode out of the room. "KREACHER!" he bellowed through the corridors of the house, setting off every angry portrait in the house.

"Master calls for Kreacher..."

Sirius stopped dead in his tracks as he heard the familiar mutterings. It was coming from a linen closet... Sirius wrenched the door open and found the house-elf crouching under a shelf. With no explanation, the wizard pulled Kreacher out by his wrinkled neck and threw him forcefully down the shadowed hallway. Kreacher, obviously injured, tried to crawl away, but Sirius was quicker. "_STUPEFY!_" the Auror roared. Kreacher instantly fell to the ground.

Breathing heavily, seeing only red, Sirius moved slowly to the house-elf—

"Sirius," said a stern voice. Sirius couldn't hear what else was said due to the angry buzzing that had filled his ears. A hand, unusually strong for its age, gripped Sirius' arm firmly in warning.

"Back off, Dumbledore," Sirius growled. Instead of loosening, the grip tightened around Sirius' upper arm.

"Do not force me to stun you, Sirius," Dumbledore said quietly.

Sirius turned his head slowly as a dog would when it sensed its prey and glared dangerously at his former headmaster. There were only two people in the world who would not cower under the look Sirius currently had on his face: Dumbledore and Remus.

"He did it," Sirius muttered, his resolve fading, looking back to Kreacher. "He poisoned Harry."

"That is highly probable. But I wish to speak with him first," Dumbledore said.

Reluctantly, Sirius pulled his arm forcibly from Dumbledore's grip, turned on his heel, and went back to Harry's room. Not many years before, nothing would have stopped him from completing the task he'd formed in his mind—he would have killed Kreacher without another thought. Any other time, Sirius would have cringed at the very idea of becoming a reasonable, sensible adult—that was Remus' job, after all—but Remus was not there...

Unfortunately, there were more important things to think about at the moment.

For example, how had things become so... terrible was not a strong enough word—nightmarish was closer to what Sirius was feeling at the moment...

Molly and Pomfrey had left the room to speak with Dumbledore before he left for Hogwarts. Sirius sat on the edge of Harry's bed and watched his godson's chest rise a bit and then shudder back down.

Too much was happening to allow him the ability to comprehend it all at once. Sirius looked helplessly around the room, his grey eyes landing on a photograph from years before. One from Harry's sixth birthday—the first real birthday the boy had had since his first. Remus and Sirius sat on either side of the birthday boy, smiling widely, all three of them looking happier than they had in their lives—which was true, if Sirius thought about it. He couldn't remember another time when he'd felt happier than he had when he'd been reunited with Harry.

Sirius had experienced rough times before—rough being used quite loosely—but he'd always had someone to share the pain with. Remus or Harry had always been there in the past. But now Sirius was utterly alone.

Roughly, he wiped away the tears that began to fall from his eyes, stood from Harry's bed, and began to pace. It would be a long twenty-four hours.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was highly distraught, though one would not know this just by looking at him; he seemed as calm as he ever was. He walked swiftly down the deserted corridors of his school, his midnight blue robes billowing behind him as he made his way to the dungeons.

Kreacher had been questioned carefully and thoroughly regarding his knowledge of the night's events. The information that had been gathered had made the Headmaster quite pleased—in a horrific kind of way—with his decisions regarding Order recruitment, though one could not go on the word of a lunatic house-elf alone—even Dumbledore had to admit that Kreacher was more than a little off.

Only one other time could Dumbledore recall feeling as apprehensive as he did at this moment: when the Potters were forced into hiding and they'd insisted on using Sirius Black as their Secret-Keeper. Dumbledore had, obviously, been wrong in his assumptions about Sirius, and he was trying not to jump to conclusions in this case as he had then. One could not be too careful, however, when it came to the well-being of those he cared for.

There were only so many things any wizard—Albus Dumbledore not excluded—could deal with at any single moment. The Boy-Who-Lived dying at the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix and two highly respected Order members missing was that limit for Dumbledore.

Stepping quickly down the stone dungeon stairs, taking a sharp right, Dumbledore found his destination. Slowly, he pushed open the wooden dungeon door as to not startle the wizard inside—that had happened once before, and Dumbledore had not been able to look Severus in the eye for a week.

Severus, as to be expected, was bent low over a steaming cauldron; the smell of the purple smoke was that of a wet dog and rotten eggs. How Severus could handle the smells day in and day out remained a mystery to Dumbledore.

"Severus," Dumbledore said quietly.

Severus didn't turn away from his cauldron, but answered the Headmaster's silent question. "The potion is coming along well, Headmaster. However, it still requires eighteen hours to simmer before it can be ingested."

"What do you know of this poison, Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

Severus sliced up a bezoar carefully and dropped the pieces into the cauldron before answering, as if pondering how much to tell Dumbledore. "It was developed by the Dark Lord in the first war," Snape began quietly. "The effects are immediate, but seem trivial to the untrained eye—fever, clammy skin, loss of color; much the same as the Muggle flu.

"Within four hours, the symptoms remain the same, but the poison has already begun to take a most terrible effect. The victim experiences violent stomach cramps and convulsions, and in some cases, hallucinations.

"By the fifteenth hour, the potion is acting as an acid, burning though the victim's organs. At the twenty-fourth hour, the potion will have reached the brain, and it is irreversible at this point." Dumbledore's face remained impassive, but he was feeling more than a little anxious as Severus continued. "According to Black, Potter has only reached the convulsion stage. Fortunately, it is still possible to save the boy."

Dumbledore ignored the sarcasm in his Potion Master's voice. "Your help is very much appreciated, Severus." Severus nodded once to show he understood. "I suspect it is pointless to ask of the whereabouts of Remus Lupin and Emmeline Vance?"

Snape visibly stiffened. "I know nothing about that, Headmaster," he said softly.

Dumbledore resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. He thought he had heard a slight trace of worry in the younger wizard's voice. Dumbledore did not press the subject. "Thank you, Severus. I will be at Headquarters if you need me. Please bring the antidote the moment it is finished," he said, leaving the potions lab.

* * *

Sirius' eyes snapped open suddenly as a ray of the morning's sun hit his face. Blurrily and squinting slightly, he looked around his surroundings. His eyes stopped on a poster of the Chudley Cannons just as the Seeker slammed into the stands; the snitch seemed to be taunting him as it flew off. Sirius chuckled mentally. The Cannons never could catch a cold...

But then another thought hit him: Since when did he have a Cannons poster in his room?

Sirius turned from where he lay on his side and found Harry curled up next to him, his breathing still shallow, and his complexion still deathly pale.

_Wasn't a nightmare then, _Sirius thought, wiping some sweat from his godson's cheek. _Damn._

A timid knock sounded on the bedroom door and Molly entered, followed by Madam Pomfrey. The witches moved to Harry's side of the bed and began to check his vitals. Sirius sat up and pulled his knees to his chest, watching.

"Well?" he said quietly.

"No change," Pomfrey said business-like. Sirius massaged his temples. "That's good, though," the nurse continued. "He's not getting any worse."

Sirius nodded. "Any news?" he asked Molly.

Molly shook her head sadly. "Dumbledore wants to speak with you. He's in the kitchen."

"Right," Sirius sighed. "You'll let me know if anything changes?"

"Of course, dear," Molly assured as Pomfrey shooed Sirius out of the room.

Realizing defeat, Sirius left Harry's room with a worried glance over his shoulder as the door was closed in his face. He didn't have the strength to fight with Pomfrey and Molly. If Remus had been there, it would have been different. But as it happened, Remus was not there, and Sirius didn't feel like being cursed by the two mother hens in Harry's room after an argument over whether he could stay with his godson.

Down in the kitchen, Sirius found the odd group he called his friends: Dumbledore, Arthur and Tonks—_they must have owled in sick to work_, Sirius thought—Moody, and Dung.

Sirius sat in his usual spot at the table, noticing immediately that Remus' spot had been left vacant. He looked around the group while they looked exhaustedly back. They'd probably been awake all night, while Sirius had fallen asleep upstairs. His eyes stopped on Dumbledore and the Auror raised an expectant eyebrow.

"How are you feeling, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked softly.

_Never better_, Sirius thought sarcastically. "I'm all right, Albus. What's been happening?"

"Severus has just owled." Sirius sat straighter in his chair. "He is experiencing difficulty in finding one of the final ingredients for the antidote. Mundungus has had one of his, er, _contacts_ search for it and he will contact Mundungus when it is found."

Sirius nodded, thankful that Dung was who he was. "How much longer will it be?"

"Depending on when the ingredient is delivered, Severus can finish the antidote in eight hours," Dumbledore said.

Sirius did the quick math. Harry had gone to bed at eleven o'clock last night. It was 10:30 a.m. right now. Twelve and a half hours was all they had to save Harry... "Okay," Sirius said tensely staring at the table.

"I was able to retrieve information from what was left of Remus and Emmeline's tracking charms," Dumbledore went on. Sirius' head snapped up. "The last visual we have is of them laughing and smiling as they walked up the mountain side before the hologram faded."

"So there's no way to know what happened to them?"

"Unless we can find them, no," Dumbledore said.

"I see," Sirius said in a forced calm. "And Kreacher?"

"Will remain at Hogwarts. There are still things I wish to question him about."

"Did he admit to poisoning Harry?"

"He insists, and I am inclined to believe him, that another placed the potion beside Harry's bed."

"What?" Sirius said loudly, causing Tonks to start. "Who in their right mind would _dare­—?_"

Sirius thought he saw Dumbledore's eyes flicker quickly to Arthur, but couldn't be sure. A half-second later, the Headmaster looked back to Sirius. "I am still investigating the matter, Sirius," Dumbledore said in a final tone. _Ask no questions and I will tell you no lies_, was the silent message passed between Headmaster and Auror.

Sirius let that mass for the moment. "Who's searching for Remus...? And Emmeline," he added hastily.

"Kingsley's got Dawlish, Evans, Johnson, and Burrons with him. They left when you went into Harry's room," Tonks answered.

"Anything?"

"Not yet."

Sirius' immediate thought was that he should be a part of the search for Remus and Emmeline. He shouldn't be locked up in the kitchen, waiting for news. He almost instantly recalled himself having the same thought in the Hogwarts kitchens years ago, but Remus had at least been there that time...

He could faintly hear Dumbledore talking in the background, but Sirius' mind was blank again. He didn't know what to think anymore, or what to feel or do. He was lost... and he didn't like the feel of it one bit.

The seconds were dragging on. Every one that passed, Sirius felt his chest grow tighter, as if time was trying to suffocate him.

Just as he was thinking things couldn't get any worse, the doorbell rang above them, followed by the inevitable shrieks of his mother's portrait. Arthur, Dung, and Moody sprinted up the stairs to stop the noise and to see who'd arrived. Sirius was left with Tonks and Dumbledore.

"It'll be okay, Sirius," Tonks whispered.

Sirius nodded, stood, and walked to the pantry. When he returned to the table, ignoring the raised eyebrows from the other two, he opened the new bottle of firewhiskey and drank it straight without retrieving a glass.


	3. Three

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Three_

In one of the upstairs bedrooms of Number Twelve, the four youngest Weasleys were gathered around Hermione Granger, waiting. Ginny had owled Hermione early in the morning to tell her what had happened with Harry. The Grangers had cancelled their holiday plans to France for the remainder of the summer to allow Hermione to be with her friends. Fred, George, and Ginny had told Hermione what they were able to find out using the Extendable Ears and from hurried explanations from their mother and Tonks—no one else seemed to have a moment to spare, and Sirius hadn't been seen for a few hours. Ron had been eerily quiet since before Hermione's arrival.

"I've never seen Sirius that angry," George said half-impressed, half-fearful.

"Looked murderous, he did," Fred agreed.

"He wouldn't have actually killed Kreacher, though, would he?" Hermione asked, glancing at each of them.

"You know, I think he would have," Ginny said quietly.

"I definitely would have," Ron whispered hoarsely, staring at the floor. His siblings and Hermione turned to look at him, surprised. "He did it," Ron continued, not looking at any of them. "Sirius was right about that. I'd bet anything Kreacher tried to off Harry."

"But how would a house-elf have gotten a hold of a potion like that?" Hermione asked reasonably. "From what you've all said, Kreacher isn't that smart; someone would have had to give him the potion."

"Who, though?" George asked seriously. "Who in their right mind would do that?"

"Whoever it was, I wouldn't want to be him," Fred said conversationally. "Sirius is bound to kill him."

* * *

The tense atmosphere in the basement kitchen had grown, if possible, worse throughout the afternoon. Sirius had taken his firewhiskey and retreated to the library to brood. Arthur and Tonks had escaped to Diagon Alley to pick up a quick lunch since Molly was occupied with Harry and Pomfrey.

Dumbledore was left to pace around the kitchen, his mind working in overdrive. He never would have thought it possible for something of this magnitude to happen. The only suspect they had in Harry's poisoning was the last person he would have ever thought of.

Maybe it was a mistake, the potion being placed on Harry's bedside table. But Dumbledore was anything but naïve. In war, everything down to the smallest details was planned out carefully. This was a well-thought out, well-executed plan.

The Imperius Curse, then... highly probable, but again, unlikely. The house had been full of Order members; one of them would have noticed something like that.

As much as it pained Dumbledore to admit it, he was forced to believe the Order had discovered their first spy of the war. But was he really a spy? Did he really have the Dark Mark burned into his arm?

Dumbledore had always believed the boy to be highly intelligent—a little too pompous and ambitious at times, but he would have made a good ally to the Order when he was ready. Arthur and Molly would, of course, need to be notified. They wouldn't take it well, but who would? This was not the kind of news any of them needed to hear after everything that had happened over the last few days.

"Albus," said a sharp voice from the staircase.

Dumbledore ceased his pacing and turned around. "Ah, Minerva," he said with a smile.

McGonagall pursed her lips. "You've been pacing, I see. What have you come up with, then?"

"You know me too well at times, Professor." Dumbledore sighed. "We will need to inform a certain couple before we tell the rest of the Order. And I think it best to keep Sirius out of the loop, as they say, for the time being."

McGonagall nodded stiffly. "And you are certain it was he who had the potion put there?" she asked quietly, watching Dumbledore's face for any change of expression.

"Most unfortunately, I am," the Headmaster responded with no trace of a twinkle in his eyes. "Even without Kreacher's testimony, it all fits."

"But Percy Weasley wasn't even here, Albus. Nymphadora Tonks told me—"

"I understand, Minerva, but there are other ways one could penetrate the wards of this house."

"I suppose you won't tell me what those ways are?"

"I would prefer to find out which form was used first, but I will inform you as soon as I am able."

"Very well," McGonagall said curtly. "If you'll excuse me, I must speak with Poppy."

As the Transfiguration Mistress went up the stairs, Dumbledore chuckled inwardly. Minerva had an odd way of disguising her worry, even if it was over Harry Potter.

* * *

_Harry felt like he was floating. He soared through the air, his bare toes skimming the cool ocean water, completely unsupported by anything. He felt better than he had in years as he looked around his surroundings. There was no visible land around him as far as he could see. How long he'd been floating in midair was a mystery, but he didn't want the feeling to end. _

_He vaguely remembered drinking the potion left for him by Mrs. Weasley—at least he thought it had been left by Mrs. Weasley. It hadn't tasted half bad after the first few sips, either. The taste held that of a Sleeping Draught mixed with an ice cream shake from Florean Fortescue's._

_Just in front of him, Harry could see the shadowed outline of a large bird. He sped up and saw the familiar red and gold plumage he'd been so enthralled with as a young child. "Fawkes." He grinned. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded like a distant echo. "Where are we going?" he asked the phoenix._

_Fawkes continued to fly towards the orange setting sun. Slightly annoyed for some reason, Harry followed. He didn't have time to run around the world with Fawkes; Sirius and Remus would worry when they found his bed empty. _

_Sighing, Harry turned away from Fawkes. "It is quite pretty out here," he murmured. "Peaceful..." _

_He turned back to Fawkes and felt a surge of panic flood his insides. He was no longer floating or flying, or whatever it was that he'd been doing. Now he was on his knees, staring at the mouth of a cave. Darkness had suddenly surrounded him. Waving his pale hand in front of his face, he could barely see a thing._

"_Fawkes?" he called uncertainly into the blackness._

_There was no answer._

_Harry was alone—or so he initially believed. _

_His brow furrowed as a soft hissing sound began to move closer to him. Cautiously, fearfully, he turned around and began to scream._

* * *

By five in the evening, Sirius' firewhiskey supply was depleted, leaving him to pace outside Harry's bedroom door. Pomfrey and Molly had been quite adamant about keeping him out. Harry had once again begun to convulse earlier in the afternoon. The only thing that seemed to soothe him was the spell Dumbledore used to calm him the first time. According to the Headmaster, it was a rather complicated painkilling spell. It was all they could do for the time being, until Snape arrived with the antidote. Pomfrey didn't dare give Harry any potions for fear of how they would react with the poison.

Sirius leaned against the wall across from Harry's room and slid to the floor. If there was one feeling he hated more than waiting, it was waiting for Snape to arrive. Harry's life was, literally, in Snape's hands. If the Potions Master didn't correctly brew the antidote, or if it took longer than anticipated to brew, Harry would die.

Thankfully, Dung's connection had successfully found the last ingredient for Snape. Dung had personally delivered the dragon scales to Hogwarts four hours previously. Now, they just had to wait.

Kingsley's search team had sent an owl earlier in the afternoon. Their information was almost useless —they'd found no trace of the missing Order members, yet, but were still searching. All Sirius needed was one, simple piece of evidence stating that Remus was possibly still out there somewhere, then, perhaps, he could better deal with everything that was happening at the moment inside Number Twelve. If he knew Remus was still out there, he could focus solely on making sure Harry was all right.

At nine that night, Molly and Pomfrey were finally satisfied that Harry was stabilized and allowed Sirius inside his godson's room. Molly had half-heartedly offered to bring Sirius some dinner, but the Auror's appetite had completely disappeared hours ago.

Two more hours was all they had. Harry already looked... Sirius couldn't finish that train of thought. His chest clenched painfully to even think that he could lose his family.

_This is war, Black. And you've got to face the facts... You can't keep them safe..._ said a dark voice in his mind.

"Shut up," Sirius growled quietly. He sat on Harry's bed and reached for his godson's hand. He winced as he felt the coldness of Harry's hand. "C'mon, mate," he whispered to his boy, hoping Harry could hear him. "Don't leave me now..."

Before he could stop, tears began to fall, and Sirius didn't bother to wipe them away.

Pomfrey and Molly returned an hour later with Dumbledore and Arthur in tow. Sirius briefly saw the Weasley children and Hermione waiting anxiously outside the door before it closed.

"Severus has informed us that the antidote will be ready in thirty minutes, Sirius," Dumbledore said quietly, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder.

The younger wizard nodded and looked back to his godson. Thirty minutes... But would that be enough time...?

* * *

"_Imperio_," Lucius Malfoy muttered lazily, pointing a wand he'd stolen from some dead wizard. The Ministry still had his; that bloody werewolf had undoubtedly given it to Black...

_Up_, Malfoy commanded silently. Pettigrew rolled over onto his back from where he'd been facing the wall and stood from the cot that had been set up for him.

Malfoy directed Pettigrew out of the stone room and down the dark corridors to where the meeting would begin shortly. The Dark Lord apparently had good news—Malfoy hadn't seen his master in such high spirits in years.

The Death Eaters entered a large, stone circular room with a high dome-ceiling. Though a fire burned against one of the walls, the room was still quite cold.

_Dementors_, Malfoy thought with a slight shiver. _I should have known they'd be here…_

The circle of black cloaks had already been formed in the center of the room, with spots left open for two more. Malfoy guided Pettigrew to the circle and took his own spot beside the soulless Death Eater. How he'd come to be in charge of Pettigrew, he'd never know. Apparently the Dark Lord believed he'd done something terrible, and was punishing him.

_It's better than death on some days, I suppose,_ Malfoy thought dryly.

Further thoughts were driven from his mind as a door slammed open and the Dark Lord himself entered, followed by Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange.

"My Death Eaters," the Dark Lord said softly after the Lestranges took their spots. Malfoy noticed with some satisfaction that Bellatrix looked to be in some pain. "I have good news and I have bad news for you tonight. The bad, first, I believe." Malfoy stiffened. "My prophecy has been moved to Hogwarts. Dumbledore and the werewolf have placed their pointless protections over it. Perhaps you think this would only make it easier to get my hands on it. You would be wrong. During the attack on Diagon Alley, my spy in Hogwarts was captured. He is being held at the Ministry of Magic. I now ask you, my faithful, what is the point of having a spy if he has been detained?" The Dark Lord looked around his circler of followers slowly. "Get him out. I do not care what casualties are made."

"Yes, Master," shuddered eerily around the circle.

"And now, the good news," the Dark Lord continued in what could be considered a light tone. "Potter is now on the verge of death." There was a soft gasp somewhere on Malfoy's left. He didn't have the courage to look around. The Dark Lord didn't seem to notice. "In less than an hour, one of my goals will have been completed after fourteen years of failure. This night is to be celebrated, my friends."

Malfoy let the rest of the Dark Lord's speech fade. He was merely pleased to have lived through another evening.

* * *

Ten-forty-five, Sirius' wristwatch read. Snape still hadn't arrived... Dumbledore had left Harry's room to contact Snape and find out what was taking so long. Sirius' breathing was coming to him in short, shallow spurts as he watched Harry fight to breathe. Molly had been escorted from the room by Arthur a short time ago due to her sobbing, and had been replaced by Mad-Eye and Tonks. Pomfrey was doing her best to keep Harry stabilized until the antidote arrived, but Sirius was sure it wouldn't do much good after a few more minutes...

Never before had Sirius wanted to see Snape so badly. Snape was their only hope, Sirius had to reluctantly and bitterly remind himself.

At ten minutes to the hour, Harry's door opened. Snape entered swiftly, carefully carrying a smoking goblet. Dumbledore and McGonagall entered, the latter closing the door and moving to stand beside Sirius.

Without a word, Madam Pomfrey sat beside Harry and sat him up. Snape opened Harry's mouth, rather roughly in Sirius' opinion, and tilted his head back, forcing him to swallow the potion. Once the goblet had been drained, Snape and Pomfrey moved away from the bed and watched along with the rest of them. Sirius felt Tonks and McGonagall slip their hands into his, and he appreciated the slight comfort from them.

Long minutes passed with no change. The clock struck eleven o'clock and Harry, to Sirius' immense relief, was still breathing.

"What are we watching for?" somebody quietly asked Snape.

"The color will begin to return to him shortly," Snape answered quietly. "His breathing will return to normal, though he may not wake for another few hours. His organs will have to repair themselves—the antidote will help with that..."

Sirius blocked the rest out as he concentrated on Harry. His breathing hitched as Harry's chest began to move with more normalcy than it had in the past twenty-four hours. He gently pulled his hands from McGonagall and Tonks, and moved beside Harry.

Slowly but surely, the boy's color was returning. Sirius felt Harry's forehead—his temperature felt as if it was warming, a large relief from the coldness Sirius had felt earlier.

For hours, they waited for something, anything to happen. They were rewarded just after two in the morning, when Harry emitted a hoarse groan. Various sighs of relief could be heard, Snape's most likely because he hadn't messed up the potion.

Sirius held his breath as he watched Harry's eyes start to flutter open. "Sirius..." Harry whispered almost inaudibly.

Sirius laughed shortly in relief and enveloped Harry in a tight hug.

* * *

Kingsley led his team through the forest, their eyes wide open for anything and everything around them. They'd gathered what they believed to be the contents of Emmeline's travel bag, but hadn't found any sign of the owner.

"Kingsley!" called one of the Aurors. Kingsley looked behind him and found the team had stopped. They were gathered around a large clump of bushes, looking over each other's shoulders to see better.

Kingsley repressed the urge to think it might be a body and made his way to the bushes. Dawlish floated what was unmistakably Remus' knapsack before Kingsley's eyes. Kingsley opened the bag with his wand and noticed out of the corner of his eye that his team was backing away. A nauseating smell flooded them, making their eyes water.

"Dungbombs," Kingsley coughed.

"Ow!" they heard Johnson cry out.

"What?" Kingsley said immediately. Johnson seemed to have tripped over something. He was caught in another clump of bushes on the other side of the path.

"_Lumos_," muttered five voices in unison.

Kingsley felt his stomach sink to his feet when he saw a leg sticking out. Evans moved forward to push the bushes out of the way. "Oh shit," Kingsley muttered.

They'd found Remus.


	4. Four

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Four_

Sirius entered Harry's room later in the afternoon and held back a grin. Fred, George, and Ron were standing against the wall while Ginny and Hermione fussed over Harry. They fluffed his pillows repeatedly, made sure he was comfortable, forced him to drink plenty of fluids—

"Honestly, I'm fine," Harry said. His tone seemed exasperated, but Sirius could see his godson was enjoying the attention from his two best girl friends.

"Alright, ladies, let the patient get some rest," Sirius said, ignoring the glare Harry sent him when Hermione and Ginny turned their backs. "Molly wants you all downstairs anyway." The Weasley boys left the room, sniggering to themselves. Ginny followed, and Hermione was the last out of the room, throwing back last minute instructions to Harry.

"...Don't get out of bed too soon or you'll—"

"Thank you, Hermione," Sirius said, closing the door once she was out of the room. He turned back to Harry, his grin under control. "You know, I don't know how I feel about you having girls on your bed, mate," he said with a straight face.

Harry glared and made a motion with his hand that would have made James proud. Sirius laughed and sat beside Harry on his bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Better," Harry sighed. "Still feel like I'm half-dead."

_You still look half-dead,_ Sirius thought. "Pomfrey said you'll be fine in a few days. You've just got to take it easy. Meaning no Quidditch," he added sternly.

"Sirius, I don't think I could pick up a broomstick right now, let alone fly," Harry said dryly.

Sirius smiled slightly and looked around the room. He could feel Harry's eyes upon him, but didn't have the strength to answer the questions he was sure his godson had. Nothing had been mentioned to Harry related to Remus yet. Pomfrey had been quite adamant about keeping Harry's stress levels down, and something of that magnitude would surely be enough to push Harry over the edge.

"Did you find who left it?" Harry asked quietly.

Sirius didn't have to ask what he was talking about. "Dumbledore has his theories, but he's yet to inform me of anything," he answered, looking his godson in the eyes. They were still noticeably dull.

"Who do you think it was?"

"Kreacher," Sirius said promptly with a slight growl. "But Dumbledore seems to think someone helped him..." Harry nodded pensively. "I will find out, Harry. This isn't going to die down anytime soon. And it will never happen again," he added more to himself than to Harry.

After that, Sirius purposefully changed the subject to Harry's upcoming fifth year at Hogwarts. They discussed the career advisement in the spring, and of course, the O.W.L.s. Sirius told Harry a rather humorous story about how stressed Remus had been before their O.W.L.s. He'd ended up hexing both Sirius and James for repeatedly interrupting his studies.

"Your dad didn't get those boils off for a month," Sirius finished with a grin.

"The way Professor McGonagall always talks, Remus wasn't as much of a threat as you and dad," Harry said.

Sirius laughed loudly. "McGonagall never had a clue about Remus, Harry. Dumbledore did, of course, but then again, Dumbledore knows all. But McGonagall..." Sirius shook his head with a smile. "Remus was always really good about hiding his guilt in everything we did. Why do you think he didn't have nearly as many detentions as me or your dad? When McGonagall did catch him, he had a way of getting off light, because he was the 'good Marauder.'"

"I don't believe that for a second," Harry muttered.

"Good boy," Sirius said, ruffling Harry's hair.

Harry began to fade off an hour later. Sirius tucked the blankets around him protectively and made to leave the room. He could hear Harry turn over in his bed and mumble a tired "good night." But before he could close the door, the one question he'd been dreading all night reached his ears. "How's Remus?" Harry asked sleepily.

Sirius winced. Slowly, he turned back to Harry. "Remus is... fine," he said, regretting his words immediately. Harry nodded and fell asleep seconds later, and Sirius left the room quickly.

He'd lied to his godson. Sirius had always been completely honest with Harry, and in two seconds, he'd ruined the trust that had been built up over the years. Most wouldn't think much of telling a sick teenager who'd almost died the night before another version of the truth, but unless a prank had been involved, Sirius had never lied to Harry.

_It was either that, or tell him Remus might be dead somewhere and we have no way of knowing until Kingsley returns with news_, Sirius reasoned with himself.

Running a hand through his hair, Sirius began to make his way to the kitchen. Now that Harry was mostly out of death's grasp—for the time being, that is—Sirius could allow himself to go insane with worry over Remus. He wanted to believe Kingsley would return to Headquarters and say that Remus and Emmeline were just fine, and only had a bit of trouble. He wanted to believe Dumbledore had messed up the tracking charm in some way. He wanted to believe everything would be all right.

_But you know better_, said some cynical voice in Sirius' head._ It's just like Remus always says: Things have to get worse before they can get better._

How much worse could things get, though...?

"Do you really think we should tell Sirius?" he heard Molly ask as he came down the stairs.

Sirius stepped back into the shadows and listened.

"He needs to know," Dumbledore was saying. "I have learned by experience that the longer one waits with Sirius Black, the worse he takes news."

"Yes, but he's just so worried about Harry right now, and—"

"Sirius will be fine, Molly. He's dealt with things of this nature in the past. He won't take it lightly, no, but I believe he will act rationally."

Molly looked at Dumbledore disbelievingly, whispered something Sirius couldn't hear, and returned to the kitchen. Dumbledore watched her go, heaved a heavy sigh, and turned to the stairs. "Sirius," he said quietly. "We need to talk."

* * *

Ron crept quietly down the hall, careful not to let his mother catch him, and opened Harry's door. The twins, Ginny, and Hermione had gone down for dinner, but Ron didn't seem to have much of an appetite, for once.

He pulled out a chair from Harry's desk and sat down heavily next to his friend's bed. Since Harry had awoken, Ron hadn't had any chance to talk with him. Between Pomfrey, his mum, Sirius, his siblings, and Hermione, Ron would be lucky to have five minutes with Harry before they left for Hogwarts in less than a month.

Harry had always been considered a member of the Weasley family, ever since that night when Ron was six, and his parents had taken him to Hogwarts late at night. Ron hadn't really ever had a chance to make friends around his small village. The Lovegoods were the closest neighbors with kids, but Ginny had befriended Luna when they were toddlers, and Ron hadn't really ever liked having tea parties with dolls, anyway.

His lack of friends left him as an easy target for Fred and George's growing love for pranks and trouble. Bill and Charlie were years above Ron, so they'd always go off together and do whatever. And Percy... well, what sane kid would want to play with Percy?

Being best friends with the Boy-Who-Lived was an interesting life. Ron was well aware of the dangers Harry had survived and would face in his life. After Harry had been kidnapped by Peter Pettigrew, Sirius had become quite protective of him. Whenever Harry stayed at the Burrow without his guardians for almost two years after, one of them would check in with Ron's parents every hour, almost like clockwork.

Ron had been witness to many of Harry's nightmares over the years. He never understood the relevance of them until their second year, after the ordeal in the Chamber of Secrets.

Once he'd been sure Ginny was safe and sound, Ron had cornered Harry in their dorm and practically demanded information from the other boy. The fact that his best friend was a Parseltongue was old news; Ron's parents had taken Ron, Harry, and Ginny to a Muggle zoo once a few years back. They'd left early when Ron's dad spotted Harry talking to one of the snakes in the Reptile House. They'd taken Harry back to the cottage almost immediately. The kids were sent to Harry's room while the adults had a serious talk.

All Ron knew at the time was that people who could talk to snakes were bad. He didn't understand why his best friend had that dark ability, and still didn't. Even at nine years old, Ron had fully understood the difference between good and evil. He'd heard all the stories about the war. And he was sure Harry wasn't evil.

Sirius had been upset that night, as had Ron's mum, but Remus and Ron's dad kept the two of them calm. They'd called the kids out of the bedroom after a few hours and explained that what happened at the zoo would have to be kept a secret. Ron, Harry, and Ginny were just excited to have a secret. After that day, the three of them would comb the forest behind the cottage for snakes Harry could talk to, and he would translate for the other two. Nobody ever found out about their secret until second year, during a duel between Draco Malfoy and Harry.

Harry had taken sanctuary between classes and on weekends in Remus' office until most of the school stopped looking at him like he was You-Know-Who himself. Ron and Hermione had kept him company and found out more about their friend that they could ever imagine. Harry had told them the first half of the prophecy. You-Know-Who already knew that part, so if something happened, and one of them was captured, they couldn't repeat any new information to the enemy.

They'd also learned that Harry would have to face You-Know-Who at some point and time, and though Ron didn't say it aloud, he'd decided that he would be by Harry's side, no matter what.

Harry groaned and rolled over to face Ron. Ron watched in amusement as his friend struggled to stay asleep.

"Morning, sunshine." Ron grinned as Harry opened his eyes.

"Sod off," Harry muttered.

"Temper, temper, Potter. How're you feeling?"

"I've already told you guys I'm fine. What more do you want me to say?" Harry yawned. He was still pale, but he was looking better than last night...

"You almost died," Ron said quietly, staring at the floor.

"I know," Harry said. He sat up in his bed. "Can I tell you something?" Ron's head snapped up. "Only you can't tell anyone I told you. Sirius and your mum are going mental about this as it is."

"Yeah, sure, I won't tell anyone," Ron assured quickly.

Harry began hesitantly. "Well, I had these... dreams, I guess they were. Nightmares, more like. But I was at Voldemort's fortress." Harry ignored Ron's involuntary shudder. "This monster-thing found me. It looked like a snake, but... it could walk. Don't look at me like that, Ron, just listen."

Ron's red eyebrow had begun to rise, reminding Harry forcefully of Remus.

"Anyway, it took me into this castle. It kinda looked like Hogwarts, but it had this... creepy feel about it, you know? And I saw my parents, Ron," Harry whispered. "They looked like I imagine they would now if they'd lived. Voldemort was holding them captive, and they were begging me to come help them. But I couldn't... And then I saw Remus... He was just sitting in front of this large fireplace, grinning like he does when he pranks Sirius. He told me I'd never see him again if I didn't come to that castle. And he said it like he was just explaining how to add two and two..." Harry trailed off, looking lost.

"Harry... I heard Dumbledore and my dad talking... That poison causes hallucinations. That wasn't real," Ron said.

"You're kidding..." Harry said sarcastically. "That's why I said it was a dream, Ron."

"And," Ron went on as if he hadn't heard Harry, "Remus'll be fine. Kingsley's out looking for him now—"

"What?" Harry said quickly. "What are you talking about? Why's Kingsley got to look for him?"

Ron's eyes widened. "You mean, Sirius didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Harry demanded rather loudly.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered. "Sirius is going to kill me..."

Harry swung his legs over the edge of his bed and forced Ron to sit when he'd made to stand. "Tell me what happened, Ron, or _I'm _going to kill you," Harry practically growled.

"Alright, alright, calm down," Ron said hastily, prying Harry's fingers away from the collar of his shirt. "All we know is that something happened with that tracking charm Dumbledore put on Remus and Emmeline. They don't know where he is. I heard Tonks talking to Dad, and she thinks they might be... dead..."

"No," Harry whispered, his eyes wide in horror. "They can't be..."

"Well, like I said, Kingsley got a team ready and they're looking for Remus now..."

Harry collapsed on his bed and covered his face with a pillow. Ron bit his lip. He probably should have kept his mouth shut—there had to be a reason Sirius hadn't told Harry about Remus; Sirius told Harry everything.

"He lied to me," Harry said, his voice muffled by the pillow. "Sirius told me Remus was fine..."

After that, Harry became silent. Ron thought that perhaps he'd suffocated himself with the pillow, but could see his chest rise and fall as he breathed. Thinking he'd caused enough damage for the rest of the summer, Ron left his best friend to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, down in the basement, Sirius sat at the table, his jaw clenched, staring at the wall. They'd gotten their proof. Remus had been found...

Sirius hadn't said a word in nearly twenty minutes, and that fact was starting to make the others in the room quite uneasy.

Dumbledore had taken him into the drawing room and told him that Kingsley had owled. Remus' body had been discovered in a cluster of bushes in the French mountains. It looked as though he'd been dead for hours. There'd been no struggle, making the cause of death obvious: the Killing Curse.

Sirius' response to the news was what was making the other occupants of Number Twelve so uneasy. There hadn't _been_ a response. It was as if Sirius' entire body had just shut down. His eyes were dead and hollow, his movements minimal. It was like waiting for a bomb to explode.

"Sirius," Dumbledore said quietly, sitting beside the Auror. "Kingsley has just arrived at the Ministry with Remus. He wishes you to come and... identify him."

They could see tears welling up in Sirius' eyes. He nodded jerkily, stood with Dumbledore's help, and the two Flooed rather uncomfortably to the Ministry of Magic. Sirius didn't seem to have any idea as to where he was. Auror Dawlish met them at the lifts and nodded in greeting. On the second level, Dumbledore led Sirius by his arm down the corridors and through a door marked "Coroner."

Sirius' breath was coming in shallow spurts again as he spotted a metal table in the center of the room. On top of the table was a figure covered by a white sheet. Kingsley stood from where he was seated against the wall. He exchanged a few words with Dumbledore, but Sirius heard none of it. He was focused entirely on that table. Remus was under that sheet...

Slowly, and stumbling more than a bit, Sirius moved away from the other two wizards. They made no move to stop him. Sirius approached the table, unblinking, not thinking about what he would see. He needed to see for sure...

He saw his hand move to the sheet, and before he could stop himself, he was removing the sheet. He held back the urge to cry out painfully as he laid eyes on the pale, dead face of his best friend.

Remus' blue eyes were wide with what Sirius was sure to be fright. The scene was all too familiar to Sirius; this was how he'd last seen Lily and James. That was it... All Sirius had left in the world was his godson.

Harry... oh god... How would he react to the news? He'd be crushed. Remus was more than just an uncle to Harry; he was like a second father. Harry loved Remus as much as he loved Sirius. Remus had been Harry's mentor, his teacher, one of his best friends.

Sirius vaguely felt his knees slam into the cement floor of the room as he leaned his head against the cool metal of the table Remus lay upon. How long he remained there, he had no idea. He wasn't ready to leave yet. And he wouldn't leave until he was ready.

His mind was blank, his body was numb. He couldn't even begin imagine what life would be like now. He didn't want to.

When Lily and James had died, Sirius thought his life had been over. To his surprise, it had only been the beginning. He'd gotten to know Remus better than he'd known himself over the years...

Finally, Sirius stood up. Not bothering to wipe the tears from his face, he leaned over and kissed his brother's forehead. He turned to leave, but something caught his eye. Something on Remus' neck had reflected off the light. Clumsily, Sirius moved Remus' shirt aside and removed a silver necklace from his chest. He jaw began to unclench and fall open.

Hastily, he began searching his robes for his wand. It wasn't there. "Dammit," he cursed loudly, his voice still hoarse. He turned to Kingsley and Dumbledore. They were looking at him as if he'd gone mental—maybe he had... "I need a wand," he said.

"Sirius, what..." Kingsley began.

"Didn't anyone do a Forensics spell on him?"

"Why would we—"

"Remus doesn't wear silver. It's got nothing to do with him being a werewolf; he just doesn't like the color. Give me a wand, please," Sirius pleaded. His face was filled with a hope that nearly broke Kingsley's heart.

Reluctantly, Kingsley handed Sirius his wand. Dumbledore watched in interest as Sirius began to mutter a complicated incantation, waving Kingsley's wand over Remus' body. Nothing was happening. "I need my wand. You do it," Sirius said, thrusting the wand back into its owner's hand.

Kingsley looked as if he'd rather face Voldemort alone, without a wand, than prove that the man on the table actually was Remus. He took a breath, and stole a glance at Sirius; he was staring hopefully at Remus. Hesitantly, Kingsley began the Forensics spell. It was harder to perform on a dead body that had been exposed to the elements for hours. After a few minutes, a hologram began to form above Remus' midsection. Sirius held his breath and watched anxiously as the picture sharpened.

The spell was finally done. Kingsley's eyes were wide with disbelief. The smile that had spread across Sirius' face was the largest he'd seen in years. Sirius began to laugh in obvious relief.

_Karkaroff, Igor_, the hologram read.

_Aged: 62 years_

_**Known Death Eater**_


	5. Five

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Five_

Harry Potter was becoming annoyed.

Mrs. Weasley had just come into his room to retrieve the tray holding the remainder of his dinner. He'd tried to eat, but his stomach hadn't seemed to want to allow it at the present time—he'd stopped before he threw up what little he had already eaten.

But it hadn't been Mrs. Weasley taking the tray that had Harry annoyed, but the sympathetic looks she'd been sending him all evening. She looked to be on the verge of tears when Harry would inquire as to where Sirius had been. Even his friends wouldn't tell him the whereabouts of his godfather, but Harry knew that they knew.

When they'd come to see him before they'd gone to bed, they traded uncomfortable looks at the very mention of Sirius. None of them wanted to tell him anything, and Harry did not like not knowing—it was a trait he'd gained from his godfather.

So this was why, at half past midnight, a fortnight before the next full moon, Harry lay awake, glaring at the ceiling. He was still highly frustrated with Sirius for not telling him that something had happened to Remus. He'd had to find out from Ron, for crying out loud! Not that Harry was upset with Ron for letting him in on things, but he would have preferred Sirius being honest with him. But for some reason, his godfather was either not in the house or avoiding Harry altogether, and this was starting to worry him.

Ron's explanation of what had happened to Remus was vague, to say the least. It left Harry with horrifying images of rotting bodies—a lasting effect of the poison, he was sure. He lingered on the vision of Remus sitting before that fireplace. If he was seeing only people who'd died (a conclusion he'd come up with after seeing his parents), then that probably meant Remus was dead.

But no, that couldn't be possible. Sirius would have told him that. But Sirius hadn't told him something had gone wrong with Remus in the first place. Perhaps Sirius didn't think he could handle the news...?

Harry groaned aloud in frustration. Sirius never kept things from him unless he had a damn good reason. Harry knew that Sirius didn't like keeping him in the dark. Sirius and Remus had had arguments over what to tell Harry in the past—Harry'd heard them at it. If it had something to do with the Order of the Phoenix, Harry would understand the secrecy. But when it came to his guardians, he felt—no, he _knew_—he had a right to know what was going on.

Footsteps could be heard down the hall. Harry knew they weren't Sirius'; it was rare that Sirius stepped that lightly. The footsteps stopped outside his door. _Must be Mrs. Weasley_, Harry thought. _Making sure I'm asleep, I'm sure._

The door creaked open and Harry closed his eyes, feigning sleep to avoid being given a lecture and a sleeping potion. Once the door had been closed softly again, Harry opened his eyes and decided to wait until morning. Then he'd demand answers.

* * *

Sirius sat grinning behind his desk in Auror Headquarters. He knew he shouldn't be this happy—there was still the mystery as to where Remus was and how Karkaroff had been close enough to his best friend to get a hair to use in a Polyjuice Potion (it had been decided by Dumbledore and Kingsley that a Polyjuice Potion had, indeed, been used).

Remus hadn't been found. That fact still worried Sirius to no end, but for the moment he could breathe easy knowing his friend—his brother—was still out there. Hope was not gone. The Death Eaters had obviously tried to make it seem like Remus had been killed, but they obviously hadn't realized how very perceptive Sirius Black just happened to be. If they hadn't been stupid enough to leave that necklace around Karkaroff's neck, Sirius would still believe he'd lost Remus. Voldemort would have succeeded in ruining the morale of the Order.

"Oh," Kingsley said tiredly. He hadn't slept in nearly three days; he'd had to make sure Sirius didn't do anything stupid, and it was taking its toll. He reached into his cloak and pulled out what looked to be a small brown pouch with a horrible stench surrounding it. "I'm burning this cloak, by the way. Damn smell won't go away..." The Auror placed the pouch on Sirius' desk, tapped it with his wand, and said, "_Engorgio_."

"Remus' bag," Sirius said instantly, opening the knapsack, unaffected by the stench of dungbombs inside—being a Marauder had its advantages.

Sirius dug through the bag, hoping it wasn't in there, hoping Remus'd had enough sense to take it out before he'd lost the bag. He removed all the other contents of the bag—changes of clothes folded neatly, flasks of the Wolfsbane Potion, a book, a small photo of Sirius and Harry... it wasn't there.

"Good on you, Moony," Sirius said quietly and proudly. He looked up to Dumbledore and Kingsley who were both staring at him with raised eyebrows. "Two-way mirror isn't here," he explained as if it would be obvious as to what he was talking about. When they continued to look at him strangely, he added, "James and I had them in school. That's how we used to talk when we were in separate detentions. I gave one to Remus before he left; the other is somewhere in Harry's room. We might be able to find him..."

Sirius mentally slapped himself for not thinking of that before. But, he reminded himself, a lot had been happening, and all he really had time for was stress and wondering how he'd get out of this mess.

Dumbledore's lips twitched. "Minerva was convinced she'd been hearing voices in her head all those years ago, you know, Sirius," he said thoughtfully.

Sirius grinned wider. "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go search for that mirror!"

"Sirius. It's two in the morning. Harry's probably asleep. I want to be asleep. You and Dumbledore _need_ to sleep..." Kingsley said with no real conviction. He wanted to find Remus, too, but someone had to be the voice of reason.

"Then go home and go to bed," Sirius said distractedly, repacking Remus' knapsack haphazardly. Without another word, he stood from his desk and left the office.

Kingsley tiredly turned to look at Dumbledore's amused face. "He's going to be the death of me, he is," the younger wizard said.

"Sirius is, if nothing else, determined. I have the feeling he will not rest until Remus is found," Dumbledore said. "You rest, Kingsley. I must return to Hogwarts and arrange bringing Severus back to the Ministry until another plan is formed."

"Bet he won't like that," Kingsley muttered, hiding a smile.

"He will not, but it will not do for anyone to realize he is missing."

"Right you are, sir. I think I'll just go take a nap at my desk. I've done it plenty of times. It's actually a very comfortable desk... I'll come back to Headquarters in a few hours."

"Rest well, Kingsley," Dumbledore said as the Auror left the office. The old Headmaster finally stood. It would be best if he spoke with Snape soon.

* * *

Harry's eyes snapped open as he sensed someone in his room. He lifted his head slightly and saw the blurred outline of Sirius bent over his Hogwarts trunk, searching furiously for something. Clumsily, Harry reached over and took his glasses from his bedside table. Once he could see properly, he sat up further. "Sirius?" he said.

Sirius started and looked over the lid of the trunk at his godson. "Where is it?" he asked hastily.

"Where's what?" Harry asked, his eyebrow rising.

"The bloody mirror! What'd you do with it?" Sirius stood for where he'd been kneeling before Harry's trunk and moved over to the wardrobe. He began to tear through Harry's clothes, muttering to himself.

Harry's other eyebrow rose as he watched his godfather destroy his room. After ten minutes of this, Sirius stopped his search and sat next to Harry looking relatively calmer than a few seconds before. At least his eyes weren't wide as saucers anymore.

"Why're you looking for the mirror at three in the morning?" Harry asked carefully.

"Remus has the other one," Sirius muttered. "He's not dead, Harry. He's got the mirror and we can find him. This can all end if we can just find the mirror."

To Harry, Sirius looked like he'd lost hope of... everything. He looked miserable... lost… confused... "Sirius, what happened to Remus?" Harry whispered.

Sirius gave him a look that made his heart sink. He began to explain everything he knew, from the poisoning to Kreacher to Kingsley finding Karkaroff's body under Polyjuice Potion. "...and I went through Remus' bag, and his mirror wasn't in there. And I know he took it; I packed it myself. So if we find it, we might be able to contact him, and..."

"Sirius," Harry said in order to stop his godfather's ramblings.

"Yeah?"

"I'll help you find the mirror."

"No," Sirius said firmly. "You're supposed to be resting. Look, I'm sorry for not telling you all this sooner, but Pomfrey told me if I stressed you out, she'd hex me into next year."

"But I feel—"

"Yes, yes, I know, you feel fine, but I'd rather you stay in bed feeling fine than me being in St. Mungo's after Pomfrey and Molly got a hold of me if I let you out of bed."

Sighing in defeat, Harry lay back against his pillows and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. "Last time I saw it was that day in the library when you called from the Ministry before my Occlumency lesson."

"The library?" Sirius repeated. "You're sure?"

"Yeah," Harry answered. "I thought I'd brought it back in here, but since your little search didn't find it, it must be in there."

Sirius nodded. "Okay," he said. "I'll check the library, then." He leaned over and kissed the side of Harry's head. "Get some sleep, kid. I'll let you know what's happening in the morning."

* * *

Sighing, Sirius stood and left the room, knowing Harry was staring after him. He ran a jerky hand through his hair. After all this was over, he'd need a long vacation. Unfortunately for him, he'd have to worry about Death Eaters following him to his vacation spot. Maybe he'd just keep Remus and Harry under constant surveillance until the war was over. Bloody hell, he was becoming Mad-Eye Moody. _"Constant Vigilance!"_ He'd have to go back to work soon, what then? He needed to shave soon, too... Eating probably wouldn't be a bad idea, either. Maybe Kingsley was right and he really did need sleep—a lot of it, come to think of it. After he found the mirror, maybe he could go down to the kitchen and get some leftovers from dinner. Surely Molly'd saved him something. Butterbeer always went well with Molly's meals. He'd already drunk all of his firewhiskey, but he was pretty sure Remus kept some brandy around for emergencies... and this was an emergency.

Finally, he reached the library, putting a temporary halt on his jumbled thoughts. Standing in the doorway, he pointed his wand in the center of the room. "_Accio_ two-way mirror," he muttered lazily.

For five minutes he waited. _It'll come_, he thought over and over. _It has to come_.

His mind didn't register the splintering crash on the floor above him. Nor did his mind register the sound of something soaring through the dark corridors behind him. His mind was set on the library and only the library. His eyes were wide as he tried to see anything in the darkened room.

Only when something hit him hard in the back of his head did he look away from the room. "Ow!" he cried, grasping his head and turning around. "_Lumos._" Next to his feet was the one thing that could get him his best friend back. He snatched up the old mirror and wiped the glass with the sleeve of his robe. He looked down the hall, trying to see where the mirror had come from. He vaguely thought about the attic and Kreacher, but found he didn't care that much at the moment.

"Moony," he said hoarsely into the mirror. He cleared his throat. "Remus Lupin," he tried again. He stared into the mirror for what felt like hours. He expected Remus' tired face to appear any moment and tell him to stop being such a girl. _"Shut up, Padfoot_,_ I'm fine,"_ he'd say with a smile.

Sirius called for his brother until his voice felt raw. The only thing he could see was his own pale, exhausted face. Somehow, he'd moved over to the sofa. Feeling frustrated and deeply depressed (why wasn't Remus answering him? Remus always answered him!), he set the mirror on the coffee table and curled up on the sofa. Maybe Remus had lost the mirror. But then how would they find him? There were ways of tracing a wizard by their wand, but it did no good if the wizard's wand was in pieces on the kitchen table...

His eyelids felt like bludgers—a feeling he was unfortunately getting used to—but he needed to stay awake. He needed to figure out how he was going to find Remus...

"Hello?" said a quiet, hoarse, slightly muffled voice. "Is anyone there?"

He was dreaming. He had to be dreaming, and if that voice didn't stop messing with his head—

_Voice?_

Sirius' eyes snapped open and he sat up from where he'd somehow fallen to the floor. His hands fumbled over the coffee table until they hit the familiar edge of the two-way mirror. "Moony!" he said in a dazed, almost drunken voice. In his sleepy excitement, he nearly dropped the mirror three times before he could keep his hands steady enough to see the face in the mirror. It wasn't Remus... It was...

"Emmeline! What..." Sirius muttered. "Where are you?"

"Sirius!" Emmeline said in obvious relief. "Oh thank god! I don't really know where I am. Lost my wand... lost Remus... everything's gone... Death Eaters everywhere..."

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked, his mind finally starting to wake up, not really hearing what Emmeline was saying.

"Yeah... yeah, fine," she said.

"Is Remus with you?"

"No," she said. "We were separated, Sirius. I think the Death Eaters got to him..."

"Do you have any idea whatsoever where you might be?"

"I..." she began hopelessly. "I really don't know..."

"Stay where you are," Sirius said. "I'm going to contact Dumbledore and I'll get in touch with you soon. Keep the mirror close by, okay?"

Emmeline nodded. "Okay... just hurry, alright?"

"I will."

Sirius pushed himself from the floor and sprinted through the house, not caring that he was probably waking every being and portrait as he went. He tripped on the last stair, but grabbed the banister to keep from falling. He had to get to Dumbledore...


	6. Six

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Six_

Thanks to the use of wandless magic on Emmeline's part, Dumbledore was able to track the witch's location in the French mountains within minutes. Sirius had already gone to wake Molly and Arthur, and had contacted Tonks and Kingsley. Carefully, a portkey was created to take them directly to Emmeline. Sirius refused to listen to anyone's suggestions about him staying behind; he took charge of the operation under the strangely amused eye of Dumbledore.

Using a teapot, the three Aurors disappeared from the kitchen. Sirius immediately pulled out his wand when they landed on the side of a mountain. He reached over and grabbed Tonks' arm before she could fall over. "You're too much like Harry, you know that?" he muttered to his bright blue-haired cousin.

"Shut up, Black," she muttered back.

"Sirius, you're sure it was Emmeline you talked to and not another Death Eater under Polyjuice?" Kingsley asked.

"If it's not her, then we've just captured another Death Eater," Sirius said casually. "_Lumos._ C'mon."

Tonks and Kingsley shook their heads at one another and followed their boss. They could be walking into a trap, and Sirius wasn't thinking twice about it. If Mad-Eye Moody had been there, they'd all be petrified on the ground, receiving a long lesson on "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" They could be following Sirius into their premature deaths. But they were Aurors. This is what they lived for. And they had to follow orders from their leader... even if he was a psychotic madman at times.

"He's gonna be the death of us, you know," Tonks said conversationally.

"I've been thinking the same thing lately," Kingsley said.

They grinned at one another and began to jog to catch up to Sirius. "Ready?" he asked his Aurors. They nodded, their wands still held at the ready. Emmeline should be right around—

"Sirius?" a voice called hesitantly.

The Head Auror snapped his head to his right and ran into the mouth of a cave. "Moron," Tonks said.

"Your cousin," Kingsley muttered, jogging away before Tonks could slap him.

Emmeline sat on the floor of the cave, leaning against a wall, cradling an obviously broken arm. The relief on her face at the sight of the three Aurors was more than evident. But before Sirius could move to help her, Kingsley grabbed his robe. It was his job to make sure Sirius didn't get himself killed, after all. He performed the same forensics spell he'd used on Karkaroff's dead body. A minute later, a hologram appeared above Emmeline's head. It was her.

"Sight for sore eyes, you are." Sirius grinned, helping the witch from the ground. Her ankle wouldn't support her; it looked to be shattered.

"_Ferula,_" Tonks muttered. Bandages and splints shot from her wand around Emmeline's arm and ankle. Sirius raised an eyebrow. Tonks shrugged. "That was the first spell I mastered at Hogwarts."

"Speaking of Hogwarts," Kingsley said. "We need to get going. I don't want to stay out here longer than we need to."

"It's so good to see you three," Emmeline said, leaning on Sirius as they walked out of the cave. "I don't know what happened to Remus... Death Eaters... everywhere..."

"We'll talk once you've gotten some rest, Emmeline," Kingsley said. He'd re-charmed the portkey to get them to Hogwarts. Dumbledore had taken down the charms around the hospital wing, but they only had twenty minutes from the start of the mission to get to the school. The four Order members touched the teapot, and ten seconds later, they arrived in the Hogwarts hospital wing. The Headmaster was waiting for them along with Pomfrey, McGonagall, Moody, and—to Sirius' great disgust—Snape.

Sirius immediately led Emmeline to a freshly made bed and allowed the school nurse to examine her. Everyone but Snape began to barrage the Aurors with questions about where they'd found Emmeline. Kingsley and Tonks patiently answered their questions. Sirius just happened to glance at Snape. The Potions Master had an odd look on his face as he watched Pomfrey mend Emmeline's injuries. He seemed to sense Sirius' stare; he turned and used his trademark glare on the Auror.

Half an hour later, Pomfrey ordered everyone out of the room, saying that Emmeline needed her rest. Dumbledore led the group to his study where they were met by three house-elves with tea trays. Sirius wondered vaguely where Dumbledore was keeping Kreacher now...

Their impromptu Order meeting covered everything that had occurred in the last four days: Diagon Alley, Remus and Emmeline, Harry, Kreacher, and the potential spy inside Number Twelve. Sirius, of course, demanded more information on this, but Dumbledore wouldn't expand on what seemed to be an accidental slip of his tongue.

The sun was rising quickly over the Quidditch pitch, and Dumbledore deemed it time for the Aurors to get some sleep. Snape would remain at Hogwarts until that afternoon, when Dumbledore would come up with a plan to bring him back to the Ministry. Until Emmeline was well rested, they decided (rather, Pomfrey decided for them) to leave their questions unanswered. Since Harry was seemingly all right (Snape assured Sirius—through Dumbledore—that he'd recover completely in the next few days), Sirius decided it time to return to work. He had a lot to catch up on, and there wasn't much they could do for Remus until they had more information about what had happened in France.

Dumbledore kindly offered to let the Aurors to sleep in the Hogwarts guest quarters. Exhaustedly, Tonks led the other two out of the study and down the school corridors. Once they reached their room, none of them said good night; Sirius didn't even make it to the bed that had been setup by the house-elves; he collapsed on the sofa and fell asleep seconds later.

* * *

In a dark flat in London, a blonde woman with striking hazel eyes sat on her black leather sofa, her knees pulled to her chest, her head buried in her arms. She never thought the choices she'd made fourteen years ago would lead to this. Her life, once happy with a wonderful man who would support her through almost anything, was now miserable with an evil Dark Lord dictating her every move. She'd known of all her master's plans before the majority of the rest of the Death Eaters. They'd been carefully thought up, these plans, and they were seemingly foolproof; she'd made sure of that.

She blamed herself, of course, and with good reason. Her best friends' son was dead; the poison had undoubtedly done its job, and the only person who knew the antidote was a Death Eater in Ministry of Magic custody. One of the only men she'd ever loved now hated her, and was as good as dead once the other Death Eaters caught up with him. He'd fight, of course; that was the only way Remus could be taken down. He'd fight until his last breath. She could only recall one time in Hogwarts when he'd assaulted another student.

_Regulus deserved it, though,_ she thought.

If she kept up with the life she had now, she'd be dead in ten years, if that. She'd been lucky enough to avoid participating in the majority of the Muggle torturing—that was an advantage to being the Dark Lord's top strategist...

_The only advantage,_ she thought bitterly.

She had been serious about going to see Dumbledore. She should have done it years ago, when Remus had first told her to. She'd been caught up in her own independence and ending the war on her terms. Perhaps, she'd thought all those years ago, the war would end before she'd have to do anything she'd regret. And then she and Remus would be able to live happily ever after. But that night at Remus' was the one she regretted more than anything else she'd done.

When Sirius had been released from Azkaban, she'd been thrilled. She'd known what Peter had done—she'd tried to tell Remus, but he wouldn't listen... Peter had manipulated her into not only ruining her life and letting her two best friends meet their deaths, but also framing her other best friend. Enough lives had been ruined by her, and she needed to do something about it.

She stood from her sofa, found her spare wand, and prepared to Apparate.

Naomi had made a decision... She just hoped he'd listen...

* * *

Sirius held his head in his hand, his eyes closing of their own accord after only three hours of sleep. He'd need to get some proper sleep soon, or he'd end up at St. Mungo's needing a pepper-up potion. He'd never realized how amazingly uncomfortable his desk chair at the Ministry was until this day. Maybe he could convince Bones to order some new ones...

"SIRIUS!" someone screamed in his ear.

His arm jerked, his head fell and hit the desk hard. Looking up, rubbing his bruising forehead, Sirius glared at his second-in-command. "You're fired," he muttered, rolling his eyes at Kingsley's grin. "What d'you want?"

"Just thought you'd like to know that the Department of Charms Research was able to transform Karkaroff's body to its original—ugly—form," Kingsley said, sitting on the edge of Sirius' desk.

"Good," the other wizard said. "It was bad enough seeing that scum posing as Remus. At least I'll rest easy knowing some form of my best friend isn't being buried just yet—"

"Always the optimist, aren't you, Black?"

"Speaking of being buried," Sirius said, ignoring his friend's comment, "when are they tossing that bastard's body in the sea for the sharks to eat?"

Kingsley chuckled. "I'll get right on that, boss."

"You do that," Sirius muttered, burying his head in his arms.

"It'll all be over soon, you know," Kingsley was saying. Sirius grunted in response. "We'll find Remus and he'll be fine. You'll see."

Sirius slowly removed his head from his desk. "Have you ever lost your entire family to one person?" Not waiting for a response—he knew the answer—Sirius went on. "I have. Not just my blood relatives, mind—not that I give two shits to the wind about the majority of them, but everyone I came to care about, everyone I'd give my life for... I've either lost them, or am in the process of losing them, or I've almost lost them multiple times.

"The only woman I ever loved enough to want to marry was murdered by Voldemort. The only two people I considered (at the time) a brother and sister were killed by him. Two of my best friends joined that evil bastard. My godson who's as good as a son to me... let's not even get into that... And now Remus. It's like... I don't even know what words to use to describe it."

"I know," Kingsley said quietly. "You've been through some rough shit, Sirius, but you've got to move on from that. That's what Voldemort wants; he wants your morale to be less than zero. And why are you looking at me like that?"

Sirius' jaw had dropped and his eyes were wide as galleons. "You said his name," he whispered in awe. "Bloody hell, Kingsley! You said 'Voldemort!'"

"Yeah, yeah," Kingsley muttered, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "Don't tell the whole world."

Sirius grinned. "Aw, my wittle Kingsley isn't afwaid of the big bad word anymore..."

"Pinch my cheek and Voldemort won't have to worry about you anymore," Kingsley threatened.

Sirius laughed, but before he could reply, Dumbledore walked in the office.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," he said. Sirius noticed he wasn't calling them 'boys'—did he only reserve that for him and Remus? "I wonder if it would be at all possible for one of you to take something to the holding cells for me?"

"Of course, sir," Kingsley said. "What do you need—oh, right..."

"Evans isn't busy. Kingsley, would you grab him for me?" Sirius said distractedly as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Actually, Sirius, I would prefer it if one of you ran this particular errand," Dumbledore said with a pointed look at Sirius.

Sirius' brow furrowed and he looked over to Kingsley. The other Auror shook his head hopelessly and mouthed 'Snape'. "Oh," Sirius said, finally cottoning on. "Right, Kingsley, if you would kindly escort the Headmaster to the holding cells, then."

"You got it, boss," Kingsley said. "After you, sir."

Sirius watched them leave. He'd forgotten Snape wasn't in his holding cell. Hell, he'd nearly forgotten Snape even existed. Hopefully, for Sirius, no one realized the cells were a Death Eater short; that could have caused a real uproar in the community. And god forbid Rita Skeeter ever found out...

"I-I'm looking for Sirius Black," said a vaguely familiar voice in the middle of Auror Headquarters.

Sirius looked away from the spot on the floor he'd been staring at and at the person talking to one of his Aurors. The Auror looked into Sirius' office and pointed, directing the woman where to go. He narrowed his eyes dangerously as she gave the Auror a forced, nervous smile in thanks and made her way to the office. Slowly, he stood, his breathing growing shallower in anger.

"Hey, Snuffles," she had the audacity to say. "Can... I come in?

"Close the door," Sirius said in a carefully controlled voice.

Hesitantly, and with good reason to be, she closed the door. Sirius distantly saw one of the younger Aurors wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at him as he closed the shades on the windows to his office with a wave of his wand. He didn't say another word to her until he was certain the room was completely soundproofed.

In one swift movement, he moved forward and pinned her roughly against the wall by her shoulders, his wand sticking sharply in her throat. "What the hell are you doing here?" he growled.

"Sirius, please," she begged. "Just—just listen. Please."

"Listen?" he said, pushing her further against the wall. "You want _me_ to listen to _you?_ You're a bloody Death Eater!" he roared.

"I know about Remus... and Harry..." she said quietly, ignoring the evil look Sirius was giving her.

"What about Remus?" he spat. Another thought hit him, and he unknowingly lessened his grip on her. "You know where he is?"

"Well, no, but I know what might happen to him..."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"The Dark Lord's trying to get the werewolves on his side again. They don't trust him right now, and I think that's due to what Remus said to them before all this started. But he thinks if he has Remus, the werewolves might side with him," she explained quickly as she noticed Sirius starting to back off. "They switched Karkaroff with Remus. Remus escaped, Sirius."

Sirius lessened the pressure of the wand on her throat. "He escaped?" Naomi nodded. "Moony escaped from the Death Eaters?"

"At least ten of them," she confirmed.

Sirius let go of her completely and backed up into his desk. "He's all alone out there," he muttered. "He got separated from Emmeline, and he's all alone..."

Naomi's brow furrowed. "They said they killed the woman…"

"Who said that?" Sirius muttered vaguely.

"Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, McNair. They were the ones in charge of finding Remus."

"She's safe," Sirius muttered.

"Good," Naomi said with an odd look in her eyes. "That's good..."

"Why are you here, Naomi?" he asked weakly.

"I want your help," she answered promptly. "You and Dumbledore and Remus. I _need_ your help."

"Yeah?" he said, his anger returning. She nodded. "Give me one damn good reason that I shouldn't lock you up right now."

"I can't give you one. But Sirius, I know things. There're things going on that if you knew... Sirius, you have to trust me..."

"I did trust you, Naomi," he said quietly, looking sad. "I trusted you like I trusted James and Lily and Julia and Peter. Remus trusted you. Remus loved you like nothing else. He was going to marry you and give you the best life he could manage. You ruined that, Naomi."

"I know, and I have no excuses that could even begin to justify anything I've done, and—"

"Stop," he said, looking away from her. "I could get sacked for this... Letting a Death Eater just walk out of here... Hell, they'd probably lock me back up in Azkaban. Not to mention this is against every sense of ethics I have... I'll be thrown out of the Order... Remus'll probably never talk to me again..." He sighed. "I'll help you. I don't know why. Blame it on insanity, stress... God dammit, I'm losin' my mind. Where are you living now?" he asked

"I've still got my flat in London and I work at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Remus told me," he muttered. "Look, I'll talk to Dumbledore and we'll be in touch. Don't attract any attention to yourself in the meantime. And I swear to God, Naomi, if this is a trap..."

"It's not," she assured quickly.

"Right. Get out of here. Do your... Death Eater rubbish or whatever it is you do. I'll be in touch."

"Thank you," she said sincerely. Sirius nodded jerkily, looking in another direction.

He didn't watch her as she left. He'd regret this, he knew it, but just the fact that she walked into Auror Headquarters in broad daylight to talk to him... Maybe it was a setup; highly probable... And Remus... Naomi said he'd gotten away from ten Death Eaters. If that was true, and Remus was still alive…

"I need a drink..." Sirius muttered. "A very, very strong drink..."

* * *

Harry sat across from Ginny on his bed, a chessboard between them. Hermione was curled up next to them reading some book. Fred and George were working on something at Harry's desk—they refused to tell the others anything. Ron had just gone downstairs to fetch tea and biscuits.

"Who d'you reckon's going to be Defense Professor this year?" Ginny asked, moving her knight.

"I don't know," Harry said. "Maybe Mad-Eye will do it again. He wasn't too bad."

"Yeah, but the Order will want him here, won't they?" Fred said, turning from the desk.

At that moment, Ron reentered carrying a tea tray. "Hogwarts letters just came," he announced.

"Finally," Hermione said, sitting up beside Harry.

Ron sat the tray on Harry's bedside table and began handing out letters.

"Mine's a bit heavy this year," Hermione said, reaching across Harry.

"Yeah, so's mine," Ron said.

"Mine feels normal," Harry said, opening and reading his letter. The room remained silent for a few minutes while the students read their letters. The silence was broken when Hermione let out a loud squeal.

"Dammit, Hermione!" Harry cried, covering the ear she'd just screamed in.

"Sorry," Hermione said, obviously not meaning it; she was grinning ear-to-ear, tears shining in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" George asked.

"I'm a Prefect."

"My condolences," Fred said in a solemn voice. He was drowned out by Ginny as she began to squeal along with Hermione. She took the shining Prefect badge from her friend to examine.

"Good job, Hermione. Should have known you'd get it." Harry grinned. "I wonder who the other Prefect is. What do you reckon, Ron?"

"Ron, are you okay?" Ginny said concernedly, looking at her brother.

Ron was staring wide-eyed at something in his hand. "What is it, mate?" Harry asked, leaning over the taller boy's shoulder for a better look. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed.

"What?" the twins said in perfect unison.

"Ron's the other Prefect..."


	7. Seven

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Seven_

Sirius walked down the path, a smile growing on his face as Remus and Emmeline joked their way up the side of a mountain. Remus was telling the witch about the full moon adventures the Marauders had had when they were at Hogwarts. Sirius found he enjoyed just hearing his friend's voice again.

It had been two weeks since Emmeline had been found, and she'd made a full recovery. Instead of her reliving the details of what happened in France, Dumbledore arranged for her to use his pensieve to give the Order the needed information.

"But weren't you in Ravenclaw?" Remus was asking with a furrowed brow.

"I was," Emmeline confirmed. "This was after Hogwarts, though."

"Right," he said, an unidentifiable expression on his face. "I've just never imagined him dating anyone... ever."

Emmeline laughed, and Sirius didn't miss Remus' smile at the sound. "He's really not a bad guy. I mean, yeah, he's a bit obsessive about his work, but..." She shrugged.

"If you say so," Remus said.

"What about you?" she asked, nudging Remus' shoulder with her own. "What's your history?"

"Actually, there's not much of a history with me. I only dated one girl in school, and she turned out to be a Death Eater. This was after we'd gotten engaged, by the way." Remus' tone was light, but the bitterness in his voice was evident.

"Sorry to hear that," Emmeline said sincerely. "But look at it this way: if you'd married her, you and I wouldn't be here enjoying the fabulous French scenery."

Remus laughed. "That's very true," he said with a soft smile. Emmeline smiled back, and they walked in silence for a while.

Though this wasn't telling Sirius (or Dumbledore—who was somewhere behind the Auror) anything that had to do with what had happened to Remus, Sirius was quite thankful to Emmeline for letting him see his friend happy again. It would be good for Remus to start dating again, and Sirius couldn't think of anybody more suited for him than Emmeline; she was funny, intelligent, she adored Harry...

The Auror's smile began to fade when he noticed the change in setting. The formerly bright sunshine had been replaced by black skies and a quarter moon (_Full moon's coming up_, Sirius thought vaguely). Remus reached into his knapsack, careful not to disturb the dungbombs, and pulled out the two-way mirror.

"Sirius Black," Remus said into the mirror. "Harry Potter," he tried again, after a few moments of silence.

Remus had tried to contact them...

Sirius thought back to that night. It was probably around eight or nine o'clock at night in the pensieve. Sirius and Harry had both been in the kitchen of Number Twelve at that time following the Diagon Alley attack. If Sirius was correct in his assumptions of where the mirror had been, they never would have heard Remus even if they had been trying...

"No answer?" Emmeline checked as Remus placed the mirror back into his robes.

"No." He sighed. "But knowing those two, they're either eating or having a prank war."

Sirius thought a prank war would have been a very nice alternative to what really happened that night. The next moment, Remus stopped in his tracks, grabbing Emmeline's arm to keep her from walking any further.

"There," said a quiet voice behind Sirius, causing him to start.

He turned and saw Dumbledore pointing into a clump of trees. Dark outlines could be barely seen shifting slightly by the moonlight. Sirius bit his lip, knowing that whatever happened next, he couldn't help his friend. He was merely a bystander...

"_Nox_," Remus and Emmeline said quietly in unison. The lights at the tips of their wands went out immediately.

"DUCK!" Remus shouted. Sirius saw him push Emmeline to the ground as stunning spells flew from the trees. The two of them must have crawled to safety on the other side of the path; Remus' voice could be heard sending spells and curses back to their attackers.

The vast array of different colored jets of lights reminded Sirius of a Muggle fireworks display he'd once seen with Lily and James years ago.

"_CRUCIO!_" one of the Death Eaters shouted.

A surge of anger and panic filled Sirius as he heard Remus' muffled screams of pain. But as tempted as he was to take out his own wand and do his own cursing, he knew it would do no good. He could only watch for now...

The scene changed again. Now, Remus and Emmeline had taken shelter in a cave. Remus was cleaning a large gash across Emmeline's back using the feeble light from her wand.

"It should be all right," he muttered, lowering her shirt.

"Thanks," she said, turning to him. "How's your head?"

"Throbbing horribly," Remus remarked lightly, leaning against the cave wall. He reached into his robes and pulled out the two-way mirror again. He thought for a moment, flipping the mirror over in his hand. "Here, take this. If anything happens and we get separated, you can call for help."

Emmeline took it only when he pushed it into her hand. "But what about you? How would you call for help?"

"I still have my wand." He smiled mysteriously, causing Emmeline to raise an eyebrow. "Don't worry about me. Look, why don't you try and get some sleep while you can..."

Again, the scene was changing. They were still in the cave, but a few hours had obviously passed.

Remus sat in the center of the cave, his knees pulled to his chest, staring straight ahead of him at the mouth. Emmeline was curled up behind him, asleep. He was obviously keeping guard. Minutes passed and Remus' head began to droop in understandable exhaustion. _Stay awake, Moony_, Sirius silently encouraged. He could tell something was about to happen...

No sooner than the thought floated across his mind, Remus was on his feet again, his wand out and pointed towards the mouth of the cave.

"_EXPELLIARMUS!"_ someone shouted. Remus struggled to hold onto his wand, but it was no use. Not only was his wand soaring away from him, but Emmeline's had flown from her robes into the hand of their invisible attacker.

Remus moved backwards slowly, his eyes wide, trying to adjust and find Emmeline. The Death Eater revealed himself—it was Lucius Malfoy. He taunted Remus for a few moments, then snapped both of the confiscated wands. "You won't be needing these anymore," Malfoy said smoothly.

By this time, Emmeline was awake and standing beside Remus. Malfoy pointed his own wand at the pair, and Sirius was sure he was preparing to speak the Killing Curse; instead, he smirked and began to mutter something rapidly in ancient Latin. Remus and Emmeline had just enough time to exchange a quizzical look before a bright white light filled the cave. Sirius shielded his eyes, but made sure he kept Remus in his line of vision. Almost instantly, looking like the wind had been knocked out of them, Remus and Emmeline collapsed to the cave floor.

The next thing Sirius saw was Emmeline bent over Remus' unconscious, unmoving body. She looked just as pale as he did, and seemed to be struggling to breathe normally. The morning sun began to fill the cave.

"Remus," she rasped, shaking him as hard as she could manage. He wasn't responding.

Emmeline sat back on her heels, placing a shaky hand to her head, and looked around the cave.

"What was that spell?" Sirius muttered to Dumbledore.

"It is not one that I recognize," the headmaster replied quietly.

To everyone's great relief, Remus' eyes snapped open finally. He took in a loud, deep breath and attempted to sit up. Emmeline pushed his shoulders gently back to the ground as he began to cough, telling him to relax...

"I believe it is time for us to leave, Sirius," Dumbledore said, taking hold on Sirius' elbow.

A moment later, they touched the floor of the Headmaster's office. Emmeline and Kingsley were quietly awaiting their arrival.

"Well? What happened?" Kingsley asked as Sirius sat beside Emmeline on the office sofa.

"What happened after Remus woke up?" Sirius asked her, ignoring Kingsley's inquiry.

"I made sure he was okay enough to travel. We'd lost our wands—as you saw—so there wasn't much we could do as far as food or Apparition. Neither of us was strong enough to even attempt wandless magic at that time," she said. "Later in the afternoon, he told me he was feeling better and that he was going to find something for us to eat, and maybe see if he could find our bags. I offered to go instead, but he insisted. He's really stubborn; I think he gets that from you." She smirked. Sirius smiled weakly. "Anyway, a few hours went by, and he still hadn't come back to the cave. I went out to look for him, and ended up tripping over some tree limbs or something and fell down a hill; that's how I broke my ankle and wrist. I got back to the cave somehow, and decided to wait and see if he would come back... He didn't, and the next night was when you contacted me, Sirius."

* * *

Naomi paced, waiting for Sirius to arrive at her flat. He'd sent an owl early that morning telling her he'd be by sometime that evening with instructions for what she was to do next. For two weeks, she'd expected Ministry officials to knock down her door and arrest her. She knew she could trust Sirius, though; he may have been arrogant and cocky in school, but he had always been trustworthy and loyal to his friends.

_You're not his friend, though,_ she reminded herself.

Someone knocked hard on her door. "Ministry of Magic," called a deep voice. "Open up."

Maybe she was wrong about Sirius, after all...

Picking up her wand from the coffee table, Naomi made her way to the door. She opened it and found Sirius watching her with an un-amused raised eyebrow. He easily took the wand she had pointed at him out of her hand and pocketed it. He raised a finger to his lips, signaling for her to be quiet; she nodded and moved aside to allow Sirius and a big, black wizard (probably his partner) inside.

Without so much as a greeting, the two Aurors began to wander through her flat, waving their wands around the walls, inside the cushions of her sofa and the floors.

"What're you—" she started to ask as the black wizard started towards her bedroom.

Sirius turned and signaled something to the other Auror. "_Silencio_," the other muttered, pointing his wand at Naomi.

She glared furiously at Sirius, but he ignored her. With a lack of anything else to do, she sat at her kitchen table while the Aurors went through her home, doing god knew what. This went on for nearly thirty minutes before Sirius walked back into the kitchen, his partner finishing up what he was doing to Naomi's stove.

"It's all clear, Kingsley," Sirius said. Naomi continued to glare at him and became more infuriated when she realized he was enjoying her anger.

"Think I should take the charm off?" the other Auror—Kingsley—asked lightly, leaning against the counter.

"I don't know," Sirius responded. "She always did have quite the temper, much like Lily. She might start yelling at us, and I for one am not in the mood for that."

Naomi rolled her eyes and huffed silently.

"We can't get answers if she can't talk, Sirius," Kingsley said reasonably.

"Good point," Sirius said. He muttered the counter-charm lazily and backed away from her out of habit; he knew Naomi's temper better than any of the other Marauders. "Naomi, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt, my second-in-command. Kingsley, this is the infamous Naomi Watts."

Kingsley nodded in greeting, obviously not trusting her anymore than Sirius did.

"What were you doing to my flat?" Naomi asked Sirius.

"You know how Muggles can use those little things to spy on each other? The bugs or whatever?" he asked. Naomi nodded. "Wizards can do it, too, but I'm sure you knew that. I'm sure you also know that it's a much more complex operation with us—much harder to detect and deactivate."

"You can detect and deactivate them?" Naomi asked, her brow furrowing.

"Don't look so surprised, Naomi," Sirius said. "They didn't make me Head Auror for nothing."

Kingsley emitted a cough at that moment that sounded a lot like "bull shit." Sirius glared at his partner before continuing his conversation with Naomi. "We needed to make sure Voldemort—or you, for that matter—wasn't trying to record our conversations." Sirius sat down at the table. "I talked to Dumbledore," he continued. "He wants to speak with you, of course, before he makes a decision on what to do with you. As of right now, he may want to use you as a spy. You'll be allowed back into the Order eventually, once you've gained our trust. Which, by the way, you have none of right now."

Naomi nodded in understanding.

"But I'm here for answers more than anything, Naomi," he said. "I want to know what happened to Remus out there. What was that spell Malfoy used on him and Emmeline?"

Naomi sighed and laughed slightly, causing the Aurors to raise simultaneous eyebrows. "It wasn't meant to kill them outright," she began quietly. "It was supposed to make them stop breathing, stop their lungs and hearts from functioning correctly. It's meant to be used on victims who've been tortured to the point where they have no strength left to fight. Malfoy used it prematurely. The plan was to capture Remus and the woman, bring them by Portkey to the Dark Lord's hideout—"

"Hideout?" Kingsley piped up, exchanging a glance with Sirius.

"I don't know where it is," she said regretfully. "None of us do. The Dark Mark burns on our arms and basically guides us to where we're supposed to meet."

"So Remus and Emmeline were still strong enough to fight that curse," Sirius said.

Naomi nodded. "They had to be. You said the woman's safe, and Remus was nowhere near her... The Death Eaters still haven't been able to locate him... They've located Hagrid and the Frenchwoman near the giant camps, though."

"Right," Sirius said, looking at his watch. "Okay, we've got to go. Dumbledore will contact you in a few days."

The two Aurors began to leave without another word. Naomi suddenly stood and boldly called out after Sirius. "I'm so sorry about Harry..." she said softly. She saw the two Aurors exchange another look before Sirius turned back. He nodded solemnly and left her flat.

* * *

"You're an evil bastard, you know that?" Kingsley grinned at his friend when they reached Number Twelve. "Why didn't you tell her that Harry's fine?"

"Why should I?" Sirius asked. "She was a part of the plan to kill him, and she obviously feels guilty about it. Let her think she killed my godson for a while; it's the least of what she deserves."

Kingsley shook his head and went down to the kitchen for dinner—they could smell Molly's cooking the moment they opened the door. Sirius went up the stairs to see Harry.

In a few days, he would reluctantly be sending his godson back to Hogwarts. Measures had been taken by the school's staff to ensure the safety of its students, but Harry wasn't an ordinary student. If Sirius had it his way, Harry would remain at Number Twelve under the ever-watchful eye of his godfather and be homeschooled. That, of course, was an extreme that would not be met with open arms by anyone but the Auror.

Sirius knocked on Harry's closed bedroom door and entered. The boy was placing his school things neatly in his trunk—a trait he'd obviously gained from Remus; Sirius had never been that neat. "Hey, kid," he said, flopping unceremoniously onto Harry's bed.

"Hey," Harry replied flatly.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

While folding a pair of robes, Harry seemed to ponder the question. He wouldn't look Sirius in the eye as he continued to pack, and he seemed reluctant to talk to his godfather—something that made Sirius quite uneasy.

Harry ignored Sirius' presence and went around the room looking for items he may have forgotten. Sirius silently watched him wondering what was going on in his mind. _Probably the same things going through your mind, you dolt_, he thought. Whether they ever find Remus was at the top of the list.

"Harry," Sirius said quietly.

Harry continued on as if he hadn't heard his name being spoken. He was flipping through a new copy of _Standard Book of Spells_; Sirius knew he couldn't care less about the book. The Auror stood from the bed and walked to where Harry was leaned against the wall, his eyes clouded over. Sirius reached out and took the book from the boy's grasp, dropping it to the floor. Harry's hands flopped to his sides, seeking his pockets.

"Harry, look at me," Sirius said. Reluctantly, the boy looked up. "We're going to find Remus. We're closer than you know... Do you trust me, Harry?"

Harry frowned at the question. "Of course," he said. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Then trust that I will get Remus back, even if it takes the rest of my life."

Harry sighed deeply, looking away from Sirius. The elder moved his own head so Harry would have to look at him. "It's already been three weeks," Harry began. "And it's not like I've never gone this long without seeing him, but..."

"It's different this time, right?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded. "I'm in the same boat, Harry. The longest I've ever gone without getting smacked up side my head by Remus was when I was in Azkaban." Harry didn't seem to see the humor Sirius was trying to use. "Look, we're doing everything we can do at the moment. Dumbledore wants me to wait before I start my own search until you've left for school. He seems convinced that you need me, or something," he said, trying again to get Harry to smile. It didn't work. Sirius sighed. "I've got an idea. What do you say to escaping this place for a bit? Just you and me? We'll do whatever you want. We can go back to the cottage and fly in the clearing, or we can go for ice cream... Your call."

Harry hadn't been allowed to leave Number Twelve since his poisoning. Sirius had been so busy with work and figuring out what happened with Remus, he hadn't noticed his godson starting to go stir-crazy in the old house. Even when Molly had gone to buy school supplies, the other children had gone with her, but Harry had been forced to stay behind.

"All right," Harry said, a smile playing on his lips. "Race you to the brooms, old man."

Before Sirius could work out the change in moods of his godson, Harry had run out of the room. "You little git..." he muttered, running after him.


	8. Eight

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Eight_

_Sirius landed his shining black motorbike on the driveway of Lily and James Potter's home just after midnight on a muggy night in mid-July. The letter James had sent him by owl just under an hour before was still crumpled in his hand. His stomach was filled with a sense of foreboding as he recalled the letter's words: 'We need to talk'. That was it. There was no explanation, nor was there a signature._

_Sirius set his bike on its kickstand, climbed off, and quickly made his way up the front sidewalk. Without knocking, he opened the Potters' front door. He noticed immediately that the entire house was dark, save one light in the upstairs hallway and one in the kitchen. The house was quiet—something quite foreign to Sirius' ears; between James and Harry, one would be lucky to find five minutes of peace, even at midnight._

_Sirius crossed through the hallway to the kitchen. Lily sat at the table, her back to him, her head buried in her hands._

"_Lily?" Sirius said quietly._

_The witch jumped visibly and turned around in her chair. Her eyes were rimmed with red, though it seemed to be from exhaustion and stress rather than tears. "Hey, Sirius," she said rather hoarsely._

"_What's wrong?" Sirius asked concernedly, sitting beside the red-haired witch at the table._

"_We just got home from Hogwarts," she answered with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes._

"_Yeah?" Sirius said cautiously. Lily nodded and looked down at the table. When he realized she wasn't going to elaborate, he asked, "Why were you at Hogwarts?"_

"_Albus wanted to speak with us," she said flatly._

_Sirius nodded, still perplexed, and looked around the kitchen for something else to talk about. "Where's James?"_

"_Putting Harry to bed. He's been up there for a while..." Sirius didn't fail to notice how Lily's words seemed to be caught in her throat._

"_Okay. So... what did Dumbledore want?"_

_Lily looked up but seemed to hesitate. "James should be the one to tell you."_

"_Tell me what?" Sirius asked quickly as he watched Lily look back to the table. "Lily, what's going on?"_

"_I can't, Sirius," she whispered, still not looking at Sirius._

"_Hey," Sirius said quietly, reaching for one of Lily's hands. "We're friends, right?" Lily nodded. "So tell me what's going on. I don't want to hear it from James."_

_Lily finally looked up and seemed to consider the wizard before speaking. "Lord Voldemort wants my son dead," she said in a tone of voice Sirius had never heard her use before. The tone almost threw Sirius off from the words she had spoken.__It was cold, dangerous._

"_He... what?" Sirius said, completely bewildered._

_Lily sighed. "Before Harry was born, there was a prophecy made. It said that a child born at the end of July to parents that had thrice defied the Dark Lord would have power the Dark Lord knows not. The child would be marked as the Dark Lord's equal, and would have the power to destroy him. It could mean Harry or another boy born around the same time."_

"_Longbottom..." Sirius whispered, staring at Lily with wide eyes._

"_Yeah..."_

"_So... what does that mean, exactly?" Sirius asked after a few moments of silence._

"_We don't know," said a hoarse voice from the doorway._

_Lily and Sirius turned their heads to face James. Sirius felt his heart break over the look on his best friend's face. He looked miserable, confused, lost. Slowly, James moved to sit on Lily's other side. "Dumbledore gave us a few options, none of which we want to take, but we obviously can't just sit here and wait for Voldemort to come and find us..."_

"_What are the options?" Sirius asked almost fearfully._

"_Well," James began in a forced calm that made Sirius uneasy. "We can move some place he will never think to look. Or we can go under the Fidelius Charm. Or, and this is just my suggestion, by the way, we can find Voldemort and kill the sick son of a bitch before he has a chance to hurt my family." The last part came out as a growl, causing Sirius to finch a bit. Rarely did one hear James Potter with such anger in his voice._

"_But see, there's a problem," Lily said quietly. The two wizards looked at her. "The spy," she finished in a barely audible whisper._

"_That is a problem," Sirius said, a small growl in his own voice. He already had a suspicion as to who the spy in their circle of friends could be. He'd known for a few months already. But he knew better than to bring it up to Lily and James again, especially now. "Whatever you choose, I'll do whatever I can to help."_

_James smiled weakly. "Thank you, Padfoot."_

"_Anytime, Prongs."_

"_Do me a favor, Padfoot?"_

"_Anything, Prongs."_

"_Let go of my wife's hand."_

* * *

The night before the new term at Hogwarts was to begin, Molly arranged a small party in the kitchen basement of Number Twelve. It was mostly to congratulate Ron's and Hermione's becoming the new Gryffindor Prefects, but the Order of the Phoenix was also celebrating the return of one of their own. The day before, Madam Pomfrey had declared Emmeline completely recovered and allowed her to leave Hogwarts to return to her daily life. At Dumbledore's request, Emmeline would be staying in one of the spare bedrooms at Order Headquarters as a precaution.

Since their evening away from Number Twelve, Sirius had noticed Harry to be in slightly better spirits. They'd talked, finally, about everything that had been happening in the year since Voldemort's return. Apparently, Harry actually did have an interest in girls (something Sirius had been starting to wonder about). There was a girl, Harry'd told Sirius, that he'd fancied for a few years, but never had the courage to ask her on a date. He wouldn't tell Sirius the girl's name, leading the rather intelligent Auror to believe he already knew said girl...

The atmosphere in the kitchen was light that evening, a first in many weeks. Many of those present still skirted around Sirius as though he was liable to explode. Any and all mention of Remus was carefully avoided around the Auror and his godson, and no one dared ask the whereabouts of Kreacher...

Percy had even dropped by for a rare visit (he'd moved in with his girlfriend to be closer to work in London) to congratulate the new Prefects. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Mad-Eye never let him out of their sight. Currently, the third oldest Weasley son sat against a wall with a punch glass in his hand, watching the festivities around him.

Sirius had become increasingly protective of Emmeline since her return the night before. He didn't seem to want to allow the last link he had with his best friend to wander too far. Emmeline didn't mind; after the last few weeks of recovery, and what she'd endured before that, she welcomed the constant company.

Before a large cake had been sliced, toasts to Hermione and Ron were made. Most were the standard congratulatory speeches, stating how proud the toaster (Molly) was of the both of them. Fred and George's toast more resembled a eulogy—they were deeply saddened to lose their brother to such a terrible fate. They even ended by crying loudly onto one another's shoulders.

As the night grew later, Molly sent the students to bed, much to their protests. To Harry's shock, even Sirius agreed with the Weasley matriarch. Of course, as far as Harry could tell, Sirius hadn't been himself for the last few weeks. No one else noticed, but Sirius was faking his good mood that night; he'd laughed a little too hard at Arthur's bad attempts at jokes; he'd smiled a bit too often. The hollow look Remus had once described to Harry was slowly returning to his godfather's eyes. Harry often wondered if Sirius believed everything he said about finding Remus. It made the teen feel a bit guilty to be leaving his godfather the next day. No matter what his friends tried to tell him, Harry knew his godfather would be alone. Without Remus and Harry, Sirius was alone.

* * *

Tonks stood next to the snack table, careful to keep from drawing any attention to herself, and watched Percy Weasley. The wizard was staring with an unreadable expression to where Emmeline and Sirius were talking with Molly and Arthur. Kingsley caught the witch's eye and raised a dark eyebrow in question. Tonks shook her head slightly, and motioned for the wizard to come over to the table. He excused himself from the conversation he'd been having with McGonagall and Mad-Eye, and crossed the kitchen.

The two Aurors turned away from the party, pretending to fill their plates with more food while they talked.

"What's up?" Kingsley asked quietly.

"Percy," Tonks answered.

Kingsley glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "What about him?" he asked suspiciously.

"He's acting... oddly," she said lamely.

"Tonks, Percy is a Weasley. Most Weasleys act oddly. Look at Arthur."

Tonks smacked him in the shoulder. "That's not what I meant, git. He's not himself tonight. From what Ginny and Hermione have told me about him, he never passes up an opportunity to talk about his work, or his accomplishments. I haven't heard him say more than ten words tonight."

"Maybe he's busy with work? Maybe he's just tired?" Kingsley suggested.

"That's another thing. He works at the Ministry, right? How often do you see him wandering around?"

"He works three floors above us. Just because we don't see him everyday doesn't mean he's not there."

"But—"

"Tonks, I'll say this again: He's a Weasley. Molly and Arthur have raised him well. There's nothing odd going on with him."

"Have you seen the way he's been looking at Emmeline tonight?"

Kingsley turned from the table to glance between Percy and Emmeline. "Maybe he fancies her," he said, his eyes dancing in amusement.

"No," Tonks said. "He knows something, Kingsley."

"You've spent way too much time with Sirius and Mad-Eye." Tonks glared at him. "Look, if it will make you feel better, I'll keep a closer eye on Percy. Just do us all a favor and don't mention this to Sirius right now. He's got enough on his plate as it is."

* * *

Shortly after that conversation, Percy left the party stating he had an early day at work the next morning. Dumbledore and McGonagall followed to prepare for the students' arrivals at Hogwarts. They needed to speak with the temporary Potions professor since their current one was detained for the time being—Sirius found it hard to keep a straight face as Dumbledore explained this. Defense Against the Dark Arts wasn't a problem; Mad-Eye had agreed to teach for another year. This fact seemed to lessen Sirius' nerves about sending Harry back to Hogwarts.

Molly and Arthur called it a night at midnight, leaving Sirius, Emmeline, Kingsley, and Tonks in the kitchen. The four of them retrieved a couple bottles of wine left by Dung the week before from the pantry and exchanged casual conversation for a few hours—during which, Sirius revealed how unobservant he'd been at Hogwarts when Emmeline told Kingsley and Tonks she'd been a year below the Marauders.

"I actually busted you four during one of my patrols in your seventh year." Emmeline grinned at Sirius.

"You were _that_ Prefect!" Sirius said, realization finally dawning. "The frizzy-haired girl with the thick glasses!"

Emmeline cringed. "Yeah, that was me."

"Wait," Tonks said, a grin forming on her face. "You actually busted the Marauders during a prank?"

"Yep," Emmeline said proudly, taking a sip of wine. "Of course, James was Head Boy at the time, so I didn't have much authority in the situation."

"Now I remember you," Sirius muttered. "James used to think you followed us around."

Emmeline hid a grin in her glass. Kingsley laughed loudly. "Were you one of those girls obsessed with Sirius and James, Emmeline?"

"No, definitely not," Emmeline assured them, laughing at Sirius' fallen face. "I spent more time in the library than at the Quidditch pitch, if you catch my drift."

Sirius' trademark grin returned. "You fancied Remus!" he stated.

Emmeline shrugged. "He intrigued me. Still does as a matter of fact," she muttered. "But he'd always been off limits because of Naomi Watts."

"Who's Naomi?" Tonks asked.

"No one important," Sirius said quickly. "Well, he's not off limits anymore, Miss Vance." The others didn't mention the fact that Remus was still missing. Sirius was in a good mood for a change, and they didn't want to ruin it. "Didn't you two keep in touch after the first war? You seemed to get on all right at Order meetings."

"Well, I don't think Remus was quite in the mood for anything after all that. I was sort of seeing someone at that point, anyway."

"Yeah? Who?" Tonks inquired.

Emmeline glanced uncomfortably at Sirius. "Er, that's not really important," she said hastily.

The others raised their eyebrows. "Come on, Emmeline," Sirius said. "You can tell us."

"Sirius, you _really_ don't want to know this," Emmeline insisted.

"It can't be that bad," Kingsley said. "I mean, it's not like you dated Snape or anything." Everyone but Emmeline laughed.

"Oh my god!" Sirius said loudly, when he noticed the look on the witch's face. "You dated _Snape_?"

"Keep your voice down," Emmeline said. "Yes, Severus and I dated for about two years."

"But... why?" Sirius asked incredulously. "That's just... _wrong_…"

Emmeline rolled her eyes. "He was a nice guy." Three jaws dropped in unison. "He was! The only reason we broke up was because he was so committed to his work."

Sirius looked as if he'd be sick. "But you're nice... and he's... an asshole..."

Emmeline chuckled and patted Sirius' arm comfortingly. "There are no feelings left between Severus and myself anymore, Sirius. At least not on my part. He became a bit too hateful over the years."

"I don't think I'll ever get that image out of my head," Sirius muttered.

"Let me help you with that," Kingsley said, filling Sirius' empty wine glass.

* * *

Next morning, Number Twelve was filled with the noise of clanking trunks, shrieking portraits, and Molly's happy voice telling the students to get a move on or else. Sirius, Kingsley, and Emmeline would take them to King's Cross Station by way of a Ministry of Magic car.

Over a hasty breakfast, Emmeline pulled Harry aside to give him some last minute instructions on continuing his Occlumency. He hadn't had a proper lesson in almost a month with everything going on around Headquarters, so he would have to work doubly hard to maintain what he'd learned. Emmeline would visit Hogwarts periodically—according to Harry's school and Quidditch schedule—to help him some more.

The ride to the train station was relatively uneventful. Hermione's pet cat, Crookshanks, had been sent along with her school trunk by her parents. It'd been raining quite heavily that morning, and Fred's trunk hadn't been properly secured. The trunk had sprung open while Sirius and Kingsley carried it to the car. On top of the school robes and books, was a box of wet-start fireworks. Sirius wasn't sure the scratches he'd sustained from Crookshanks would ever completely heal.

Once on the other side of the barrier to Platform 9 ¾, the trunks and pets were loaded and the Weasleys and Hermione boarded the train while Sirius said goodbye to Harry.

"Take care of yourself," Sirius said gruffly. "Don't worry too much, either. Just work on school and on Quidditch. There are four Order members at Hogwarts, should you need them for anything. Don't hesitate to tell them if you have another dream." Harry already knew all this, but let Sirius go on with his speech. "And if you need me, you've got the two-way mirror—don't lose it this time—and I'll be there as soon as I can. Got it?"

"Yes, Sirius," Harry said.

Sirius hugged his godson tightly, realizing how tall he'd gotten since last year at this time. With a kiss on top of Harry's unruly head of hair, Sirius released him. "You better get going. Be good, and don't wander too far from the castle."

"I won't, Sirius."

"Love you, Harry."

"Love you, too, Sirius."

Sirius smiled and winked, nudging Harry to the train just in time for the last boarding call. The three Order members waited for the train to disappear around the corner and made to Apparate to the Ministry. Just before he disappeared, Sirius spotted Narcissa Malfoy glaring at him from the other end of the platform, a house-elf with large, tennis ball green eyes peaking out from behind her legs.


	9. Nine

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Nine_

Harry stepped off the school train in Hogsmeade behind Ginny, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom. Ron and Hermione had to sit with the other Prefects on the ride over, but Harry was hoping to meet up with them before they made it to the carriages. As much as he liked the other three, he needed the comfort of his best friends tonight. He was trying hard not to look up to the sky as he walked; he knew what tonight was and he didn't need another reminder.

"Isn't the full moon lovely?" Luna said dreamily to Ginny.

Ginny threw a look to Harry over his shoulder; he missed it. "It is lovely," she responded.

Luna went on to talk about a species of creature made out of cheese living on the moon. Apparently, they could only be found when the moon was full. That was about the extent that Harry paid attention.

The horseless carriages were awaiting them as they had for the last three years. Ron and Hermione finally caught up to them before Harry could find an empty one. Ron quickly found one and Harry got in, leaning his head against the window, willing himself not to look up. Hermione told them who the other House Prefects were, and normally Harry would have asked why Theodore Nott got it for Slytherin and not Malfoy; but Harry found he didn't care much tonight.

Harry's mind was blank—he thanked Emmeline silently for teaching him the basics of Occlumency for that. He didn't want to think about Remus, or Voldemort, or the war. He just wanted to live through the year.

He'd heard Fred and George talking during the party the previous night about Dumbledore's choice in Gryffindor Prefects. They didn't understand why Ron had been chosen—they'd thought Harry was a sure thing. The same thoughts had gone through Harry's mind briefly—he'd done loads more than Ron, hadn't he? Remus once told Harry that Dumbledore had reasons for everything he did; whether those reasons were visible to anyone but the headmaster, Dumbledore knew what he was doing. (_So much for not thinking about Remus,_ Harry thought.)

Again, he found he didn't much care about Prefects anymore.

The carriages stopped suddenly, and Ron opened the door and exited. The others followed and made their way up the castle stairs into the entrance hall. Echoes of cheerful voices bounced off the stone walls (_How do they bounce if the walls are stone?_ Harry thought vaguely), giving him a reason not to listen to Ron and Hermione's bickering about Prefect duties. (_Can't participate if I can't hear them, right?) _They reached the Great Hall and said goodbye to Luna as she went to the Ravenclaw table. Ginny was hailed by her fellow fourth years as they reached the Gryffindor table.

"Look! It is Mad-Eye!" Ron said excitedly, examining the staff table. Harry looked up; Dumbledore and Mad-Eye were talking quietly to one another. He could feel the retired Auror's magical eye upon him and turned away quickly.

"Where's Hagrid?" Hermione asked, looking at the teachers.

"Dunno," Ron answered. "I didn't see him when we got off the train..." He and Hermione looked at Harry.

"What?" Harry asked blankly.

"Well, do you know where Hagrid is?" Ron asked impatiently.

"How should I know?" Harry replied, a little more rudely than he'd intended.

Hermione rolled her eyes as if it should have been obvious. "You know more about what's happening than we do."

"Not really," Harry said. "Sirius hasn't told me much in a while. And he didn't even mention Hagrid to me."

All thoughts of the Hogwarts groundskeeper were momentarily driven from their minds when Harry and Hermione noticed Ron glaring at the entrance to the Great Hall. Harry followed his line of sight and found the objects of his friend's glare immediately. Draco Malfoy stood between his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, with a bewildered look on his face. Malfoy sneered and whispered something to the other two, who cracked their knuckles threateningly and followed Malfoy to their table.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked quietly, turning back to their table.

"Probably thought I was dead," Harry muttered to his friends. "That was Voldemort's plan, wasn't it? Knock it off, Ron. His dad probably told him he didn't have to deal with me anymore, and now he's upset to find that I'm not dead."

Hermione frowned in thought. "Harry," she began slowly and quietly so that no one else could hear them. "Didn't Sirius tell you that Professor Snape was the only one who knew that antidote he gave you?"

"Yeah, so?" Harry asked, obviously missing something important.

"Well... if Malfoy writes to his father and tells him you're alive, won't You-Know-Who know that Professor Snape made you the potion?"

Ron raised an eyebrow. "What's that got anything to do with it?"

Hermione sighed impatiently—apparently, Ron and Harry were being slow again. "Snape's supposed to be on You-Know-Who's side, isn't he? You-Know-Who is going to know something's not right."

"I never thought about that..." Harry muttered, looking up to the staff table. Dumbledore had ended his conversation with Mad-Eye and was now studying Harry.

* * *

On the roof of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, a large black dog sat staring sadly at the full moon in its highest position of the night. Padfoot had been up there for a few hours, wondering if Moony was healthy enough to make it through another transformation. He hadn't taken his Wolfsbane potion that month—the flasks of potion were sitting in a knapsack on Sirius' desk, untouched. The full moon transformations Remus had to endure were bad enough, but now he'd probably be too weak to carry on once the moon had its way with him.

Padfoot's ears twitched as he heard hesitant footsteps behind him. He didn't look away from the sky as Tonks sat down beside him.

"Hey," she said quietly. Reluctantly, Padfoot looked away from the moon, whimpered quietly, and laid his head on his cousin's leg. "I forgot all about the full moon," she whispered, scratching Padfoot's ears. "I'm sure he's fine, though," she continued. "He's smart and efficient, and knows how to handle himself."

Tonks lay back on the roof. Padfoot crawled up and laid his head on her stomach. "You know, you're much easier to deal with as a dog, has anyone told you that? Maybe you should make the transformation permanent..."

Padfoot raised his head and glared at Tonks in a way only a dog could, then proceeded to lick her face mercilessly. This went on only a few minutes when Mad-Eye Moody stuck his head out the window and called for them to stop horsing around.

Tonks pushed Padfoot away from her, sat up, and started to wipe the dog drool from her face. By the time she'd finished, Sirius had returned to his original form, his grin fading as he once again set eyes on the full moon.

"I guess the meeting's started if Mad-Eye's here," Tonks said, pushing herself from the ground. She helped her cousin stand, and they silently went to the attic window they used to get on the roof.

Before they entered the kitchen for the Order meeting, Tonks held him back. "Sirius," she began almost hesitantly. "Are you scared?"

Sirius stared at her for a moment with a raised eyebrow. His face relaxed and he nodded slightly. "You want to know what I'm really scared about? I'm starting to get used to not having him around," he muttered, leaving Tonks at the top of the stairs.

* * *

_**Werewolves Slaughtered in Albania**_

_Special Correspondent Dan Roland reporting_

_As the full moon waned this morning, two werewolf colonies were found slaughtered in an Albanian forest. The two colonies, located more than ten miles apart from one another, were discovered in similar states. No survivors have been found amongst the piles of severed body parts. Minster for Magic Amelia Bones has offered the Albanian Ministry of Magic "any services needed to solve the mystery of this terrible massacre."_

_An Albanian Ministry official has stated that the two werewolf colonies "lived in peace with one another, and never caused any harm to the citizens of nearby villages." The matter will be investigated thoroughly, but there are no clues as of yet. _

_Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ministry of Magic Auror Department immediately._

* * *

Naomi walked nervously from her Apparition point on the outskirts of Hogsmeade through the village, and into the Hog's Head Inn. The owner of the pub, the one who'd always reminded her of Dumbledore, eyed her entrance suspiciously. Without telling the man who she was or who she was there to meet, he said, "Up the stairs, two doors down to the left," and went back to cleaning a dirty mug with an equally dirty rag.

"Thank you," she muttered, following his directions.

She'd never liked the Hog's Head, even in her youth when James and Sirius would convince her to sneak out of school late at night to see if they could procure a stash of firewhiskey. In her adulthood, she'd managed to avoid the place, though it was a popular spot among Death Eaters for meeting places.

The fact that she was here today for the sort of meeting that was about to take place did nothing to ease her nerves. Why couldn't he have asked her to meet him at Hogwarts?

_Probably doesn't trust you around his students,_ she thought, going up the dusty stairs.

She found the door she needed, took a deep, rattling breath and knocked three times, just as the letter had instructed. Before she was completely prepared, the wooden door creaked open and Naomi was once again face to face with Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster hadn't changed since her last encounter with him, at James and Lily's funeral—she didn't count the attack on Hogwarts as an encounter.

"Hello, Naomi," Dumbledore said, stepping aside to allow the witch entrance. There was no welcoming smile on his face, nor was there a comforting twinkle in his eyes.

"Hello, Headmaster," she said quietly, entering the dark, musty room. Dumbledore motioned for her to sit in one of the moldy armchairs before the fireplace before he sealed the doors and walls from outside ears—he'd learned his lesson after the Trelawney mess...

"Would you care for a cup of tea?" he asked once he completed his complicated spells.

"That would be nice, thank you, sir," she said.

Once the tea was made, Dumbledore handed her a cup—she wondered vaguely if there was Veritaserum in her drink, but thought it better not to ask; she'd deserve it if there was—and sat across from her. They sipped their tea in awkward silence. Naomi waited for him to bring the topic of their meeting to the surface.

"I apologize for the location of our meeting, Miss Watts, but past experiences have made me wary of outsiders entering the school's grounds," Dumbledore said, setting aside his tea.

"Quite understandable, sir," she said quietly, averting her eyes and setting her own cup down.

"Sirius tells me that you are interested in assisting the Order again," he said. "Is this information accurate?"

She sat up straighter. "Yes, sir. I know it may be too late for reconciliation, and I know none of you trust me, but I would like to help in any way I can."

Dumbledore nodded. "And what, may I ask, brought on this decision?"

Naomi thought for a moment. There hadn't really been one single defining moment when she realized she'd been, for lack of a better word, stupid. "I guess I just never realized the lengths the Dark Lord was willing to take to accomplish his goals," she admitted slightly lamely_._

"You were in school when the first war began, Miss Watts; surely you knew to some extent Lord Voldemort's dedication," he said.

Naomi suddenly recalled the descriptions Sirius had given her of James' parents' deaths. He'd learned of it from the Aurors on the scene, and she couldn't imagine a worse way to suffer. James had really been the one made to suffer that night, though... And then there were the Lupins only three nights before that. Her friends and family had always suffered at the wand of her master.

Dumbledore seemed to read her mind. "It is clear to me, Miss Watts, that you regret your mistakes." He paused, studying Naomi for a moment, pondering a decision. "The Order of the Phoenix is looking for a trustworthy person to, shall we say, keep a lookout in the enemy ranks. Any information you may provide would be most valuable. It is a dangerous role, Miss Watts, and not one to be accepted lightly. If Lord Voldemort was to discover your activities—well, I'm sure you could imagine the repercussions."

* * *

Up at Hogwarts castle, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were making their way from the Great Hall to the dungeons for their first Potions lesson of the new term. Dumbledore had told the students the night before that Professor Snape would be absent for part of the term. The Headmaster hadn't disclosed to them where their professor was or when he would return, but the Gryffindor trio were well aware of the circumstances. Ron hadn't tried to hide his glee due to the missing Potions Master.

Their temporary Potions professor hadn't been present at the welcoming feast, or breakfast that morning, so they weren't sure who, or what, to expect. The books for the school year hadn't given anything away, either; the book assigned was by the same author as the books Snape had previously set them.

The other fifth year Gryffindors and, to Harry's and Ron's disgust, Slytherins had already arrived in the classroom.

"Where's Malfoy?" Hermione whispered, scanning the Slytherin side of the classroom.

"He's got to take his end of the year exams from last year, doesn't he?" Ron said, exchanging a grin with Harry.

"You know, we're lucky we didn't get suspended along with him," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Not luck, Hermione," Harry corrected her. "Technicality. Dumbledore said anyone caught by the Head Boy or Head Girl would be punished. I was caught by—well, you remember. And you two... McGonagall found you."

Hermione glared. "Even still, I'd rather not risk expulsion in my O.W.L. year. So the next time Harry decides to run off to battle—"

"You know why I did that, Hermione," Harry started rather heatedly.

Hermione's glare softened. "All I'm saying is that we should try and stay out of trouble this year," she muttered. "And that's not what I meant."

Harry nodded and started to occupy himself by unloading his school bag. Ron patted him on the back before sitting beside him.

In front of the trio, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville were discussing who the possible new Potions teacher might be. "Harry, is it Professor Lupin? Does he know Potions?" Dean asked hopefully.

To Ron and Hermione's surprise, Harry grinned. "The last potion Remus made put Sirius and me in St. Mungo's for three days."

"That's a no," Seamus said with raised eyebrows.

The students' questions on their temporary teacher were answered seconds later when the office door burst open.

"No bloody way..." Ron muttered, rubbing his eyes and looking back to the professor with wide, shocked eyes.

"Good afternoon!" Gilderoy Lockhart beamed at them. "Welcome to fifth year Potions. I must say, it is marvelous to see your bright faces just after lunch."

The entire male half of the class stared stonily back while the girls flustered and fixed their hair.

* * *

Kingsley sat in his office at Auror Headquarters going over reports that had just come in about the slaughtered werewolves. Most of them had been identified using DNA spells, and none of them were an Englishman with sandy-colored hair. The Auror had been very careful to keep the reports away from his boss until he was sure Remus hadn't been a victim of the massacre. Sirius had been more distressed than usual since Harry left for school three days ago, and this would probably send him over the edge.

Since Remus' disappearance, Kingsley had been unofficially set the task of being Sirius' keeper. Not that he was complaining; Kingsley considered Sirius to be one of his best friends. But it wasn't the easiest job in the world, keeping tabs on Sirius Black and making sure he didn't get himself killed.

Sirius was one of the most unpredictable wizards Kingsley had ever met. Kingsley had been the one to apprehend Sirius in London in 1981. At the time, the Auror was shocked to see his friend's behavior—he'd worked with Sirius and James on various cases when the two had started in the Ministry. He'd never forgotten the way Sirius had laughed about his crimes when the Aurors and Hit Wizards arrived on the scene. That was probably the most disturbing thing Kingsley had ever witnessed in his career as an Auror. He'd found out later from Mad-Eye that Sirius was supposed to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper, and that he'd given his best friends up to Lord Voldemort.

Of course, Kingsley had also been present the day Remus and Dumbledore went to Azkaban to question Sirius. The interrogation had lasted only fifteen minutes, but in that time, everything had fallen into place...

The Auror looked away from his desk just as Sirius and Tonks returned from their lunch. The witch sent Kingsley a wink before disappearing behind her cubicle wall. He smiled until he realized her cousin was coming to see him.

"Hey, Sirius," Kingsley said as his boss sat in a chair opposite him and perched his legs onto the desk. "Er, how was lunch?"

"Informative," Sirius replied lightly, crossing his arms over his chest. Kingsley raised an eyebrow. "What's going on between you and my cousin, Shacklebolt?"

Kingsley tried to keep his face impassive. "Don't know what you're on about, Sirius," he muttered, shuffling some papers on his desk.

"I'm not blind, Shacklebolt," Sirius replied. Kingsley started to contradict that statement in hopes of getting the attention away from himself when an interdepartmental memo soared into the office and landed in Sirius' lap.

He breathed a sigh of relief that his questioning was interrupted. Sirius glared at him over the parchment, clearly saying _We'll talk later_. "Dammit," Sirius said, dropping his legs from the desk.

"What?" Kingsley said.

"Attack in Diagon Alley again..."

"You've got to be kidding."

"I wish. Apparently, it's not a full-blown attack, but some Death Eaters thought it would be fun to break into Gringotts. A few goblins were killed..."

Kingsley winced as he stood. The goblin community made it no secret that they didn't like wizards. "You know, kind of morbid to think it, but if Voldemort's killing goblins, they're not going to side with him."

Sirius nodded and started to round up a team of Aurors to go to Diagon Alley. Once he'd gathered his team of ten, he and Kingsley led them through Auror Headquarters to the only place inside the Ministry that allowed Apparition. It was a small room that was password protected, just outside the DMLE entrance. The password was voice activated so that no one unauthorized person was able to Apparate or Disapparate in the Ministry. At the moment, only Sirius and Minister Bones knew the password.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Sirius muttered hastily, holding the door open for his team.

"Nice password," Kingsley muttered with a grin.

"Shut it, you're not off the hook, yet," Sirius replied. "Alright, you lot! We're going to Gringotts. Have your wands out and be ready for anything."

He nodded once to his Aurors and Disapparated. When he arrived at Gringotts, the scene was chaos. Nearly all of the high countertops the goblins did business from were destroyed. Galleons, sickles, knuts, and Muggle currency littered the floor. Three goblins had been covered with white sheets. Sirius could see spots of blood on the sheets and the gold floor.

A large group of the remaining goblins were in the center of the bank, standing guard in a tight circle.

"Sirius!" called a voice. Sirius looked to his left and spotted Bill Weasley approaching him quickly. "The goblins caught them just after they killed the other three."

"Everyone else all right?" Sirius asked as eleven _pop_s sounded behind him and Bill.

"Yeah, we're all fine," the eldest Weasley replied.

"Kingsley, Dawlish, come with me. The rest of you, have a look around—make sure there aren't any others hiding," Sirius commanded over his shoulder. The three Aurors pushed their way through the circle of goblins. Sirius smirked when he spotted the five Death Eaters tied together. _That was all Voldemort sent, eh?_ Sirius thought bewildered.

One of the captured Death Eaters seemed to be shaking, obviously terrified of the Aurors. Sirius decided he would be the first victim... But when he pulled back the Death Eater's hood, all thoughts were driven from his mind as he recoiled, horrified.

The horn-rimmed glasses...

The red hair...

"Percy?" Sirius whispered incredulously.


	10. Ten

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Ten_

Back at Order Headquarters, Emmeline was sitting at the kitchen table with Mundungus, enjoying a large lunch prepared by Molly. She'd always liked the old crook, even in Hogwarts; Mundungus was a Gryffindor, a year above Sirius and Remus. He'd just finished telling Emmeline and Molly how he'd avoided arrest a few times using his Occlumency skills when the owl flew through the fireplace. The brown bird dropped a letter on Emmeline's plate and flew back out of the house.

"Who's 'at from?" Mundungus asked thickly through his sandwich, ignoring the glare Molly was sending him.

"Don't know," Emmeline said, unfolding the parchment. It was a hastily written note in Sirius' handwriting.

'_Attack at Gringotts. Everyone's okay. Don't let Molly leave HQ. I'll explain later. Sirius.'_

Emmeline raised an eyebrow and glanced quickly at Molly before folding the letter and placing it into her robes.

She cleared her throat and sipped her pumpkin juice. "So, Mundungus, the Aurors can't do Legilimency, can they? That's quite interesting," she said, hoping neither of them noticed the change in her behavior.

She could only be so lucky.

"Emmeline," Molly said suspiciously, cutting off Mundungus' reply. "What was in that letter?"

Emmeline shifted in her chair, feeling like one of Molly's children. "Nothing important," she lied. Luckily, Molly wasn't a skilled Legilimens.

"Emmeline..." Molly said with narrowed eyes.

Molly Weasley may not have known Legilimency, but she didn't spend the better part of twenty years raising children not to know when someone was lying to her. Emmeline tried to go back to her meal, but found it rather hard to swallow all of a sudden... Finally, she sighed. "There's been an attack at Gringotts. Sirius is there, and he has everything under control. He asked me not to let you leave Headquarters," she admitted.

"Gringotts?" Molly cried. "Bill's there!"

"Molly, calm down," Emmeline said hurriedly. "I'm sure Bill is just fine. Sirius said everyone was all right."

But Molly wasn't to be calmed so easily—Sirius didn't call her a mother hen for nothing. She stood from her chair and started moving frantically around the kitchen, muttering worriedly to herself.

"Molly—" Emmeline tried again as the Weasley matriarch began to leave the kitchen.

The fireplace burst to life at that moment, and Arthur's head could be clearly seen spinning in the now green flames. "Molly!" he shouted into the kitchen, looking for his wife. "Molly, where are—"

"Arthur!" Molly cried, rushing to the fireplace. "Gringotts... Bill..."

"Bill's fine," Arthur said hurriedly. "He's here at the Ministry. Came in with Sirius and Kingsley about fifteen minutes ago."

"Oh, thank goodness," Molly sighed. She must have noticed the look on her husband's face at the same time as Emmeline and Mundungus. Arthur's face looked stressed, horrified, sad, and angry all at the time. "What is it, Arthur?'

"It's Percy," Arthur said heavily. "He's been arrested along with the Death Eaters."

Molly paled and fell backwards. Mundungus caught her before she hit her head on the stone floor.

* * *

Sirius stood just outside the stone interrogation room, looking through a glass mirror. It was charmed so that he could see what was happening in the room, but those inside only saw the stone walls. Currently, Percy Weasley was sitting at one end of the metal table, staring at his feet while Kingsley watched him from his position against the wall.

"Tell me, Percy," Kingsley said quietly. "What could possibly convince a wizard of your heritage to join Lord Voldemort?" Percy winced at the name, but was otherwise unresponsive. "You know, I've known your mother and father for many years, Percy. Now, you may not be the richest family in the wizarding world, but I've never known two parents who loved their children more than yours do."

Sirius smirked. Kingsley knew how to lay it on thick... His smile faded when Percy finally began to speak. His voice was cold, nothing like the boy Sirius had known for years, the boy who had unknowingly taken in the Death Eater responsible for Sirius' imprisonment and James' and Lily's deaths as a pet.

"My _parents_ are ignorant," Percy said; he spat the word 'parents' in disgust. "They know nothing of how to survive in this world. My master has shown me what it takes, and what is possible when you seek power. I now know how blind my parents have been. My father with his obsession with _Muggles.._." Percy's lip curled in a very Severus Snape way—that was quite disturbing to Sirius. "That's the reason my family never had the wealth we deserved, being a pureblood family."

Sirius thought he'd be sick soon. The way Percy was speaking about his family... It vaguely reminded Sirius of him and his own family, his blood family. The only difference was that Sirius was never a Death Eater and the Blacks always had money. Perhaps it was the look of pure hatred in Percy's eyes when he spoke about his mother and father that reminded the Auror of the Blacks in such a strong way...

"My brothers and sister are no better," Percy continued coldly. "Befriending Mudbloods and half-breeds... I tried to help them... to steer them in the right direction, and I would have succeeded if Black hadn't intervened."

Sirius' eyes narrowed. What did he mean by that? Sirius thought back through the last few months for something Percy could have done that Sirius had interfered with. The same thought seemed to enter Kingsley's mind at the same time as it did Sirius'. The black Auror shot a startled look between Sirius and Percy.

Harry...

Percy Weasley poisoned Harry.

Sirius felt his temper rise in a way he hadn't felt since the day he'd cornered Wormtail in London. Fire was boiling in his veins, filling his insides. He was sure that if he looked into a mirror his eyes would have been blood red.

"But as always," Percy went on. Big mistake on his part... "Harry Potter escaped my master's plans."

That was all Sirius needed to hear. Growling, he went to burst into the interrogation room. Kingsley must have anticipated his moves—an advantage of having the same partner for ten years. "_Colloportus!" _Kingsley shouted, locking the door to the small room Sirius was in.

"Congratulations, Percy," Sirius heard Kingsley say coldly. "Not only have you earned yourself a room at the luxurious, newly reopened prison of Azkaban, but now you've got Sirius Black after your blood. Quite an accomplishment for someone as young as yourself."

* * *

Sirius sat between Emmeline and Tonks while Kingsley broke the news about Percy to Molly and Arthur. Sirius was torn between feeling sorry for the Weasleys and wanting to murder their third eldest son slowly and painfully. He settled for glaring at the fireplace.

Molly was crushed, to say the least. Her tears had stopped half an hour before, but she continued to sob dryly into Arthur's chest. Arthur, on the other hand, was trying to remain strong for his wife and took a different approach; his face was tense and he nodded distantly to what the Aurors were telling him. Neither of them wanted to believe their son had done the things he was accused of doing—they wanted proof.

Reluctantly, and only after Sirius nodded for him to do so, Kingsley pulled out his wand, muttering a spell. Percy's voice was suddenly amplified through the tip of the wand.

"My _parents_ are ignorant," Percy's cold voice echoed off the kitchen walls. "They know nothing of how to survive in this world. My master—"

"ENOUGH!" Molly cried weakly.

"_Finite,"_ Kingsley muttered, averting his eyes from Molly's. The recording of Percy's confession disappeared, leaving the room in a tense semi-silence. The only sounds were Molly's continued sobs and Arthur's sniffs. Finally, Sirius could no longer take it. He left the room as silently as possible and went up the stairs. He'd meant to go to his own room, but continued down the hall and entered Remus' bedroom.

All of his friend's books were still in the various, scattered places Remus had left them before leaving on his mission. An old Muggle record player sat in a corner beside the bed—it had once belonged to Mrs. Lupin. The Marauders used to love going to Remus' home and listening to the different records she had. Sirius, James, and Peter were always highly impressed with the Muggle contraption, being from pureblood families themselves. The record player hadn't worked in years, and Remus had been trying to fix it to show Harry before he left. It was one of the only things Remus had that once belonged to his parents. Besides the cottage, of course, but until the wards around the land could be replaced, there was no returning there...

* * *

_Sirius followed his friends sleepily from the open field they used for Quidditch to Remus' cottage. The other three Marauders were talking animatedly about the different plays they'd made, but Sirius preferred right now to just listen for a change. In three weeks, they would begin their seventh and final year at Hogwarts. The full moon had passed four nights previous, leaving Remus feeling tired but cheerful, and up for just about anything Sirius and James could come up with, including Midnight Quidditch. The two of them had decided to pick up Peter and head to Remus' for the remainder of the summer. _

_They could have stayed at Sirius' small flat for the three weeks, but Sirius lived in the middle of London, and they surely couldn't play Quidditch anywhere around there. Not to mention, none of them were very good cooks, so they'd have to find somewhere to eat every night. The end result had been to go to the Lupins'. Mrs. Lupin had made them home-cooked meals every night, and Mr. Lupin allowed them to use his old Quidditch gear whenever they wanted to. All in all, Sirius thought it was a good deal. _

"_Hey, Moony," Sirius called to the front._

"_Yeah?" Remus called back._

"_Think your mum saved us any casserole?"_

"_Padfoot, you already ate all the casserole," James said._

"_Oh yeah," Sirius said thoughtfully. "How about that cake?"_

"_You ate that, too," Remus said, amusement evident in his voice._

"_Well, damn," Sirius muttered. "What about—hey, why'd you guys stop?"_

_Standing at the edge of the wood, the other three Marauders were looking high above Remus' cottage. Sirius craned his neck to see the eerily glowing Dark Mark blinking menacingly down upon the four boys. Sirius looked over to James, who was looking at Remus. _

"_No," Remus whispered, not taking his eyes off the sky._

"_Moony," James said quietly._

_Remus didn't answer. Instead, he dropped his broomstick to the damp ground and ran through the backyard, pulling out his wand as he went._

"_Bloody hell," Sirius muttered for lack of anything else to say._

"_C'mon," James whispered before following Remus' path inside the cottage._

_The lights were still out in the kitchen, but the glow of the Dark Mark filled the room creepily. _

"_Where'd he go?" Peter whispered._

"_This way," Sirius said, pointing down the hallway. Exchanging quite a dark look, the three teenage wizards cautiously walked down the hall, finding where Remus had gone immediately. Peter let out a loud squeak as they entered._

_Remus was kneeling beside his parents' bed, sobbing heavily. Mr. Lupin was beside his son on the floor, his wand still held tightly in his hand. Mrs. Lupin remained in their bed—being a Muggle, she'd been defenseless against any attack._

"Lumos_," Sirius muttered the tip of his wand lighting. _

_James managed to shake himself from some sort of daze and went to Remus' side, rubbing his back consolingly, trying to whisper words of comfort. _

"_Pete," Sirius whispered hoarsely. "Go firecall the Ministry." Peter nodded vaguely, still staring wide-eyed at the Lupins. "Peter, now," Sirius said firmly. Peter snapped out of his daze and left the room quickly._

_Carefully, Sirius and James helped Remus off the floor and led him to the kitchen, turning on lights as they went. Sirius dug through the cabinets, searching for the bottle he knew would be there. Finally, he found it and took a glass from the sink, filled it to the rim with the amber-colored liquid and set it in front of Remus. _

"_Drink this, Moony," he muttered, sitting on Remus' other side._

_Sniffing loudly, tears still falling from his eyes, Remus downed the glass of firewhiskey in three large gulps. Peter returned a few minutes later and informed them that the Ministry would arrive soon._

_Once Remus had calmed down a bit, he was led into the living room for a lie down. Sensing he was about to doze off, Sirius, James, and Peter went out the front door to await the Ministry's arrival._

"_He can't stay here," James said suddenly._

"_He can stay with me," Sirius said, peeking through the open door at Remus._

"_Why'd they come here?" Peter whispered fearfully._

"'_Cause they're evil gits," James muttered._

_The conversation was ended abruptly by the sound of a dozen loud pops in the front yard. Out of pure instinct, James and Sirius pulled out their wands and stepped in front of Peter, protecting him from danger as they always had. The wands were lowered when they realized the Aurors had arrived._

"_James?" one of them called._

"_Dad?" James called back, squinting to see in the dark._

"_You boys all right?" Mr. Potter asked, eyeing the three of them in turn. _

"_Fine," they muttered._

"_Where's Remus?"_

"_On the sofa. We left Mr. and Mrs. Lupin where they were," Sirius said quietly, looking to the ground. _

_Mr. Potter nodded. "I want you three to gather all of your things and go to Sirius' flat. Stay there until I call for you. Understood?"_

"_What about Remus?" James asked._

"_We've got to take him into the Ministry for a bit," Mister Potter said regretfully. "I will personally see that he's okay, and I'll bring him to Sirius' in a few hours." He began to head into the house when he stopped suddenly. "Oh and James, you should let me tell your mother what happened tonight."_

_James nodded in understanding. The Potters and Lupins had been good friends ever since James and Remus had introduced them after their first year at Hogwarts._

_Briefly, the boys saw an Auror guide Remus' hand to an old book and the next second they disappeared._

"_He'll be all right, boys," Mr. Potter assured quietly. "Come on, now. I don't want any of you here when we start the investigations."_

_James led the three of them to Remus' bedroom where all of their trunks were. Once they'd packed, the three Marauders went to the living room, trying to avoid looking into the Lupins' bedroom, and stepped into the fireplace. _

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat around a table in the Gryffindor common room with books and rolls of parchment spread out between them. Three days into the new term and they already had more homework than they were used to. Professor Lockhart (who was a bit of a joke amongst the students already) had assigned them to research the most ridiculous potions imaginable—hair-coloring potions, teeth whitening potions, and even a potion Lockhart claimed to have discovered himself. It was a bravery-strengthening potion that was supposed to give the drinker unlimited amounts of strength and courage for twelve hours. He said he developed it before fighting a werewolf who'd been terrorizing a small village in France.

The more credible teachers had given them assignments more pertaining to their O.W.L. year. Even Mad-Eye was increasing the level of difficultly of his lessons. Professor Lupin had taught them about dementors, but Mad-Eye was teaching them how to repel the dark creatures—something that usually wasn't on the curriculum until seventh year. Everything Mad-Eye was teaching them was something they could use to defend themselves in battle. Later in the year, Mad-Eye had told them, he'd be starting a group devoted to defending against spells. They would learn the spells and protective charms, and even have supervised duels amongst one another. All in all, regardless of the reasons for the group, the students were growing excited with its prospects.

Another thing Harry was highly looking forward to was the new Quidditch season. Since the previous year had been the Triwizard Tournament, the House Cup hadn't been played for since Harry's third year. Oliver Wood, their former team captain and Keeper, had left school that year, so a new captain would need to be appointed. Angelina Johnson had informed Harry their first night back at Hogwarts that she was the new captain. Tryouts would be held in two weeks for a new Keeper.

On a totally unrelated subject, Ron had suddenly taken an interest in the weather outside after classes, and took great care of his new broomstick—a gift from his parents for becoming Prefect—at night before bed.

"Harry," called a muffled voice from Harry's school bag. The three friends looked at each other curiously until realization dawned on them.

Harry reached into his bag and dug out the old two-way mirror. His godfather was in the glass, pretending to smile... again... "Hey, Sirius," Harry whispered into the mirror, turning to make sure he wasn't being overheard.

"Hey, kid. How're things?" Sirius asked.

"Not bad. We're doing homework."

"Good... good..." Sirius muttered looking away from the mirror. Harry raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat.

"Sorry," Sirius said with another fake grin. "Staying out of trouble so far?"

"Yeah, we've only been here for two days, Sirius," Harry said.

This time, Sirius really did grin. "Never stopped us."

Harry and Ron laughed. Hermione didn't seem to know whether to laugh or look disapprovingly at her friends. "So how're things at... home," Harry said lamely.

"This isn't home, Harry," Sirius said firmly. "But things are... well... it's a normal day for the fighters of good." He laughed uneasily.

"Sirius!" yelled a voice in the background.

"I've got to go. We're getting ready to have a... well, a dinner party. Take care of yourself, Harry, and give Ron and Hermione my best," Sirius said before winking and disappearing.

"Bye," Harry muttered to his own reflection.

"Well, he sounds cheerful," Ron commented sarcastically as Harry put the mirror carefully back into his bag.

Harry smiled humorlessly. "That's my godfather."

"Do you think something's wrong?" Hermione asked quietly.

"I'd bet my Firebolt on it," Harry said darkly.

Hermione gave him a small smile, exchanged a look with Ron, and went back to her schoolwork. Harry found that he could no longer concentrate on Potions. A short while later, he packed his books back into his bag, said good night to his friends, and headed up the stairs to the fifth year boys' dorm.

* * *

A short, last-minute Order meeting was taking place in the basement of Number Twelve. There weren't many in attendance at the meeting; Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Mad-Eye had remained at Hogwarts for this meeting, sending notes of things that needed to be covered. Kingsley was put in charge for the night since Sirius was still angrily brooding over Percy Weasley. Molly and Arthur had called it a night right after dinner. Besides Kingsley and Sirius, Tonks, Emmeline, Bill Weasley, Dung, and Elphias Doge were in attendance.

They were discussing Percy, a topic that upset Bill to no end, when an owl flew in with a letter for Kingsley. He read it through once before glancing quickly at Sirius and clearing his throat.

"Our last order of business for the night," Kingsley began, "is Severus Snape."

Sirius groaned loudly and dropped his head onto the table in frustration. Tonks grabbed some of his long hair to keep him from doing it again. "You don't need a concussion tonight," she muttered.

Kingsley smirked. "Anyway, Dumbledore was going to arrange a meeting in order for Snape to get out of Ministry captivity. However, he's been recently informed that Voldemort is sending a few Death Eaters into the Ministry to break him out. It's happening tonight, just after midnight, and he's asking for our cooperation."

"What?" Sirius and Tonks cried out.

"He wants us to _let_ the Death Eaters in the Ministry to break Snape out?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Is he mad?"

"Probably," Kingsley said thoughtfully. "But he has it on good authority—or so he says—that all they're going in for is Snape. They're not supposed to harm anybody that doesn't get in their way."

"This is too bloody much!" Sirius shouted. "I... you can't expect me to let bloody Death Eaters into the Ministry of Magic without capturing them."

"Sirius is right," Bill said. "That's against everything we're doing. And what makes Dumbledore think he can trust a Death Eater, anyway?"

Kingsley threw his hands up helplessly. "I don't know. I'm just relaying the message."

"Who's this Death Eater he seems to trust so much?" Tonks muttered, looking around the table.

Kingsley and Sirius exchanged a glance. "It's Naomi," Sirius said. "Used to be a friend of Remus' and mine in school. Long story," he added at the questionable glances he was receiving from those who didn't know Naomi. "She's had a change of heart, or so she says, and wants to help out the Order."

"Do you trust her?" Emmeline asked quietly.

"No," Sirius said, looking at the witch. "But that's why Dumbledore is Dumbledore, and I'm not."

* * *

Sirius and Kingsley arrived at the Ministry at eleven-thirty that night. They instructed Eric the security wizard to take a nice, long break and made their way to the Ministry holding cells.

"Do you have a plan?" Kingsley muttered, pulling an Invisibility Cloak over himself.

"Do I ever have a plan?" Sirius asked. "Wait here," he added, pushing open the metal door leading to the holding cells. "Evans!" he shouted, trying not to look into any of the cells.

"Yes, sir?" Evans said, coming out of the bathroom.

"Change of plans," Sirius muttered to the young Auror. "You're being relieved for the night. I'll take over."

"Um, okay, thank you, sir," Evans said quietly and a bit confused. "See you, then."

Sirius grunted in response, sitting on the small desk, trying to figure out what he would do when the Death Eaters arrived. Once Evans was gone, the Head Auror sent a glare to the prisoners and stepped out into the hall where Kingsley was supposed to be.

"Kingsley," he whispered.

"Right here, boss," Kingsley's deep voice said from behind him.

Sirius jumped and turned. His second-in-command had pulled off the hood of his Invisibility Cloak, his head grinning at Sirius. "Don't do that again," he threatened.

"Or what? Going to sack me again?"

"You could only be so lucky," Sirius muttered with no real conviction. "I want you to go up to the Atrium and wait for the Death Eaters to show. Follow them. If they go anywhere but here, stun the lot of them."

"Got it, boss," Kingsley said, replacing his hood. Sirius waited until he saw Kingsley's hand wave at him from him and returned to the holding cells.

"Having problems, Sirius?"

"Shut it, Percy, or I'll shut it for you," Sirius growled, sitting at the desk again.

"Temper, Black," Percy said. Sirius could hear the boy smirking. "That's what got you thrown into Azkaban last time."

"Actually, _Percy_, it was your pet rat that got me thrown into Azkaban," Sirius said coldly. Percy was silent for a few moments. "What's the matter, Perce? Didn't know you were keeping a murderer on your pillow for five years?"

"It only pleases me to know I helped keep one of my master's most loyal servants alive. Peter Pettigrew was the one who found the Dark Lord, after all," Percy said haughtily.

"He was also the one who sent your _master_ to his destruction in the first place, if I remember correctly," Sirius said darkly. "Now shut up before I stun you..."

Not ten minutes later, the door to the holding cells opened. Sirius pulled out his wand—not intending to use it, but so the Death Eaters didn't know he was aware of what they were up to.

"Sirius Black," said a familiar voice. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has, Naomi," Sirius replied, catching her wink under her hood.

"Stun him," Naomi said carelessly.

"It will be my pleasure," said another Death Eater.

Before the red jet of light hit him, Sirius vowed to get back at Naomi the next time he saw her.

* * *

"Sirius... Sirius, wake up," Kingsley's voice broke into Sirius' mind.

The Head Auror opened his eyes with some difficulty and looked up at Kingsley's worried face. "Wha' 'appened?" he mumbled drunkenly.

"You were stunned," Kingsley said lightly, helping Sirius sit up. "But I couldn't bring you 'round with just _Ennervate_. How long's it been since you slept?" he added, eyeing his friend suspiciously.

"Dunno," Sirius muttered, his memory finally coming back to him. "Did they get Snape?"

"Yeah, the others tried to get the Death Eaters to free them, too, but Naomi wouldn't let them. After they left, I stunned all the prisoners to stop their bloody yelling, and I've been trying to wake you since."

"How long have I been out?" Sirius muttered, rubbing his head as if he had a horrible hang over.

"Two hours."

"Wonderful."

Kingsley chuckled. "Come on, let's get you back to Headquarters. I'll hold down the Ministry for the night." He helped Sirius to the Atrium where he took a fireplace back to Number Twelve. When he fell out of the green flames, he was helped up by Emmeline and led to the kitchen table. "Well?" the witch asked quietly.

"Don't worry," Sirius muttered, laying his head on the table. "Your former love is safe and sound in the hands of the Death Eaters."

He saw Emmeline roll her eyes at his sarcasm before he closed his own.


	11. Eleven

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Eleven_

As promised by Kingsley Shacklebolt, Percy Weasley was taken to Azkaban Prison a week after his capture along with the other Death Eaters in Ministry custody. His mother, Molly, had put up quite the show with her tears and wailing as her baby was led away by Kingsley and his partner, Sirius Black. For weeks, it had been hard for either Auror to look her in the eye. Neither of them could imagine what must feel like for her to see her son locked up on charges of following the very wizard she and her husband were fighting against.

There wasn't much sympathy to be spared for the Weasleys, however; the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic were busier than ever as they attempted to capture the dark wizards responsible for an increased amount of tortures and deaths. Nobody was safe any longer, not wizards, not Muggles. The Muggle Prime Minister had been informed of the tragedies occurring in the magical community. He'd worked closely and quietly with Minister for Magic Amelia Bones in alerting his public without giving the magical world away.

Every day the _Daily Prophet_ listed the victims of Lord Voldemort and his followers, and everyday the list grew longer. Minister Bones, fearing an attack at the Ministry, shut down all Floo entry into the building. Many Ministry workers were upset with her decision, and magical maintenance charmed the weather outside the windows with tornados, tsunamis, and thunderstorms for two weeks. Minister Bones was firm in her decision, backed fully by the Head Auror, Sirius Black, and the complaints faded with time.

Remus Lupin, the missing Order of the Phoenix member and best friend to Sirius Black, had yet to be located. Even with the help of his ex-fiancée, Naomi Watts, the Order's newest spy, there had been no leads on his location. Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, even sent out a team of old friends to track Remus down, but still found nothing. It was as though Remus had disappeared into thin air. Sirius, along with his partner of nine years, took a few days off work to join the search efforts. The four days were spent without sleep and with little food. Sirius remained in his Animagus form most of the time, hoping to catch his best friend's scent. What was left of the little hope Sirius had in finding his best friend was lost when Kingsley forced him to return to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

The last week of October, Sirius spent the majority of his time brooding, drinking, and falling into a deep depression over the loss of his brother. He couldn't even bring himself to write his godson at Hogwarts to tell him everything was okay and not to worry. His cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, had taken it upon herself to write to Harry every few days. She tried to get Sirius to write a short message to Harry, but the Auror couldn't even do that simple task any longer.

Halloween night did nothing to improve Sirius' spirits. He remained in the kitchen of his childhood home, three days worth of beard growing on his face, drinking his fourth bottle of Ogden's firewhiskey in those three days. Tonight would be the first Halloween spent out of Remus' company in almost ten years. The two of them had always used the night to remember their lost friends—their family. They comforted one another in a way no other could manage. They took care of one another to be sure neither of them was falling into a depression. Halloween, once the favorite holiday of all Marauders, was now a day of remembrance and mourning.

This year, Sirius was alone and inconsolable. Most of the Order had attempted to help him. Molly had even prepared a large dinner with all his favorite foods, but Sirius refused to eat. All he wanted was to be left alone to wallow in his own misery.

Emmeline Vance and Tonks wouldn't allow it. They threw out Sirius' last bottle of firewhiskey, shaved him, forced him to shower and put on clean clothes, and join the rest of the Order for dinner. A strong sobering charm had been used by Emmeline, leaving Sirius angry with her for ruining his drunken stupor.

Sirius continued to brood through dinner, glaring at everyone around him, and only eating small bites of his meal. The tense, depressing mood only increased when an express owl flew through the fireplace. Sirius picked up the letter from his mashed potatoes and tossed it uncaringly across the table to Kingsley. The other Auror rolled his eyes at Tonks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and read the letter. He sighed heavily when he reached the bottom, wondering if he should even tell his boss the news.

"Where?" Sirius muttered, pushing his peas around his plate with a fork.

"Hogsmeade," Kingsley replied. "Dumbledore's locked down the castle. All the students are in the Great Hall and accounted for. Except for one..."

Sirius closed his eyes tightly. He should have expected this on Halloween night... "Harry," he said quietly.

Kingsley nodded. "Harry."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Nothing like a battle for my godson's life on Halloween to brighten the mood," Sirius said lightly, pushing his chair away from the table and standing. He pulled his wand out from the back pocket of his jeans and headed up the stairs.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sat at the staff table, his blue robes twinkling in the light of charmed, floating candles. On either side of him were Alastor Moody and Minerva McGonagall, the only two professors he could trust with absolutely anything. His Potions Master, Severus Snape, had not returned to Hogwarts since he'd been broken out of the Ministry of Magic. While Albus was never one to give up hope, he feared Severus had met the same fate as Remus Lupin, as much as it pained him to admit.

He looked out upon the sea of students trying to enjoy their Halloween feast. He only wished their innocence could last after they left Hogwarts. Their only hope for survival, the wizarding world's only hope, was a fifth year Gryffindor who wouldn't eat any of the sweets his friends piled on his plate.

For a moment, the Headmaster's blue eyes met Harry Potter's green ones. For a moment, Dumbledore felt the pain his pupil was dealing with—fear, anger, sadness, loss of hope. For a moment, Dumbledore realized how tired the war was already making Harry. But it only lasted a moment before Harry turned his head from the staff table, whispered something to his friends, and left the Great Hall.

* * *

Harry was growing claustrophobic in the Great Hall. He looked away from Ron and Hermione's worried faces and up to the staff table. Hagrid still hadn't returned from wherever he was, nor had Snape. He locked eyes with Dumbledore for a few seconds, and looked away quickly. The Headmaster was trying to read his feelings again and he could no longer take it.

"I'm going for a walk," he muttered to his friends. Ignoring their pleas for him to wait, Harry left the Halloween feast. He let his feet carry him through the empty corridors of Hogwarts. His feet took him to the large castle doors and out onto the grounds. They carried him past the winged boars guarding the Hogwarts gates and down the path leading to Hogsmeade village.

He was blatantly disregarding the only rule Sirius had set for him at the beginning of term ("Do not leave Hogwarts grounds"), but didn't much care at the moment. Sirius hadn't replied to one of his letters for nearly three weeks. Instead, Tonks had been writing him, telling him that Sirius had been quite busy at the Ministry as of late. Harry knew she was lying.

He knew what Halloween meant to his godfather and Remus, and he could only imagine how Sirius was fairing without his best friend. _Probably has a few bottles of Ogden's for company,_ he thought with a bitter smirk, kicking a stone in his path.

He reached Hogsmeade in almost record time. The shops closed early so their keepers could enjoy a Halloween celebration in the Three Broomsticks. There were very few reasons for wizarding folk to enjoy themselves these days, and Harry silently commended the villagers of Hogsmeade for their attempts.

He continued to walk through the village and only stopped when he reached the Shrieking Shack. He'd heard the stories at Hogwarts about this place being the most haunted building in all of Britain. Of course, he'd also heard stories from his guardians about the full moons, and stags, dogs, rats, and wolves. Harry had known the truth about the Shrieking Shack before he'd even seen the rundown house. In fact, he and Ron had made an effort to encourage the rumors of violent spirits in the shack just for their own enjoyment.

Harry leaned against the fence surrounding the shack and tried to think of all the stories his guardians had told him about their days at Hogwarts. He was just thinking about how warm the evening was when a chill ran down his spine. He shivered once, not thinking anymore of it until he felt his teeth begin to chatter.

_Should have brought a cloak,_ he thought, rubbing his arms for warmth. _Or at least the Invisibility Cloak. The fabric may be thin, but I could sneak into the Three Broomsticks without being caught._

Harry blinked. He blinked again... and again. He couldn't see. He'd gone blind... _Don't be stupid!_ he thought, trying not to panic. A horrible silence surrounded him. All he could hear was his own rapidly beating heart and deep rasping breath.

Flashes of what he knew to be memories flashed before his eyes. A fat blond boy was pushing him around, chasing him down a street on a bicycle... A horse-faced woman and a fat man with no neck were calling him a freak, shoving him into a cupboard... Wormtail... Voldemort… Malfoy... a bright green light...

The last things Harry saw were a bright white flash and Sirius appearing above him...

* * *

"Dementors," Sirius whispered the moment he appeared in Hogsmeade. "Why'd it have to be dementors? Trolls, giants, Voldemort… Just not dementors…"

"Shut up and let's go," Kingsley said, appearing beside him. The rest of the Order was not far behind, and they could see a pair of blue eyes glowing in the moonlight on the edge of Hogsmeade.

"Oh good," Sirius muttered derisively, "Dumbledore's here."

"HARRY!" Emmeline cried, pointing towards the Shrieking Shack.

Sirius' head snapped in that direction and his insides turned to ice. Four dementors were bent over a shape with untidy black hair. One of them was lowering its hood...

"Oh dear god..." Sirius muttered. He tried to think of something happy, anything, but nothing came to him. "Do something!" he yelled to the other Order members. "They're going to Kiss him!"

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!" _three voices cried in unison. Sirius shielded his eyes and ran forward, behind the patronuses, trying desperately to get to Harry. A panther, a bear, and what looked to be an overgrown squirrel chased the dementors away and then faded into nothing.

Sirius tripped, nearly falling on top of Harry's unconscious form, and pulled the teenager with him against the Shrieking Shack fence. "Harry, wake up," Sirius muttered frantically, tapping on Harry's cheek roughly. "Come on... fight this..."

"Sirius! Look out!" Tonks shouted.

He turned around, his godson held closely to his chest, and spotted another wave of dementors swooping in. But by this time, Dumbledore had arrived. With one wave of his wand, the largest, brightest Patronus any of them had ever seen in their lives shot from the wand's tip. The dozens of dementors were driven far away, over the mountaintops. They could still see the glow of the patronus (Sirius thought it looked like some sort of bird) shining brightly from miles away.

"Sirius," the Headmaster said quietly. "Is he all right?"

The Auror didn't reply. He turned away from the mountains and buried his face in Harry's hair, rocking both of them back and forth, much like he'd done after Harry's first encounter with dementors. Tonks, Emmeline, Kingsley, Bill, Dung, and Arthur approached slowly, looking on anxiously.

"We need to get him to the school, Sirius," Dumbledore said, kneeling beside the Auror.

Sirius raised his head, his face tense, and nodded. "Okay," he said hoarsely.

Kingsley conjured a stretcher while Arthur and Dumbledore took Harry away from Sirius. Bill helped the Auror to his feet and they began their path towards Hogwarts. The Headmaster requested for Tonks and Emmeline to go into the Three Broomsticks and ask Madam Rosmerta to shut down for the evening. Sirius requested a bottle of firewhiskey.

"She won't take shutting down lightly," Kingsley muttered to Sirius, trying to get his friend to smile.

* * *

Back in the Great Hall, Ron and Hermione sat with the other Weasleys waiting for McGonagall to send them back to their dorms. Dumbledore had left hastily over an hour ago, and they had no idea where Harry had gone.

"I do hope he's all right," Hermione said worriedly.

"He's fine, 'Mione," Ron said thickly through his third piece of cake in fifteen minutes. He had his own way to worry about his best friend.

"If you don't slow down, Ronald," Ginny said matter-of-factly, watching Fred and George play Exploding Snap, "you're going to end up in hospital."

"Hey, why does Malfoy keep looking over here?" Neville asked quietly from Hermione's other side.

The Gryffindors looked to the other side of the Great Hall and spotted Draco Malfoy and the other Slytherins smirking at them.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey believed this Halloween would be slow for a change. Just about every year for the last ten, there were no less than ten students filling her beds. This year, she'd hoped to have a quiet evening with a bottle of wine the Headmaster had given her for Christmas.

But alas, things in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry didn't happen as planned...

* * *

Sirius had been forced to eat three blocks of Honeyduke's finest chocolate before he was allowed to see Harry. For two hours, he sat beside his godson's bed, praying the dementors hadn't done anything permanent to him. The other Order members were in the Headmaster's office discussing something Sirius didn't care to hear at the moment.

Everything just had to happen on Halloween, didn't it? Lord Voldemort had returned to full strength a year ago tonight; Lily, James...

By two in the morning Sirius was convinced Halloween was cursed.

He wouldn't sleep until he knew Harry was okay, and didn't have to wait much longer.

Harry moaned quietly, his eyes fluttering lightly. "Sirius," he muttered hoarsely.

"I'm here, kid," Sirius said, leaning closer and taking Harry's hand in his own.

"Happy Halloween," he said sarcastically, opening his eyes.

Suddenly, Sirius' anxiety turned to anger. He let go of Harry's hand and stood. "What the hell is your problem?" he growled at his godson.

Harry's eyes widened. "Sirius, what..."

"Shut up for a change," Sirius snapped. "I asked you to do one goddamned thing this year, and you can't even do that! What is it about '_don't leave the castle'_ that you don't understand?"

"Sirius, I—"

"Don't, Harry! Don't you think I've been through enough shit the past few months? Don't you think I could live with just one day of not having to worry?" Sirius shouted. "I've already lost Remus; I don't need to lose you too!"

"I thought you said Remus—"

"Give it up, Harry! The searches have stopped! Remus is gone! He's not coming back!"

"But**—**"

"Why couldn't you have just stayed in the damn castle?"

"I wanted some fresh air..."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You wanted fresh air... Then go to the Astronomy tower! Do you have a death wish? Is that it, Harry? Do you want Voldemort to catch you?"

"Sirius, that's not—" Harry began heatedly.

"Next time I tell you to do something, Harry, or not to do something, you'd best listen," Sirius said quietly.

He and Harry glared at one another for long minutes in the dark hospital wing. Neither could remember being more angry with the other than they were right now.

"You can't tell me what to do," Harry said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?"

"You're not my father, you can't tell me what to do."

Sirius felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He couldn't even get his jaw to drop at the proclamation. He stared openly at Harry, hoping beyond hope he hadn't just heard what he thought he'd heard. Harry couldn't have said that...

He watched Harry's eyes widen, but he couldn't hear his godson's stammered apologies. Numbly, Sirius nodded and turned, stumbling out of the hospital wing. He went through Hogwarts, leaving through the castle doors, ignoring Ron and Hermione's calls about where Harry was. He didn't even react when Kingsley yelled for him.

He Apparated back to the front door of Number Twelve, went up the stairs to his bedroom, found his hidden bottle of Ogden's and fell to his bed.


	12. Twelve

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twelve_

The night following the dementor attack on Hogsmeade Village, Dumbledore arranged a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. It was time the others met the person who would be giving them information on Lord Voldemort for the duration of the war. During the first war, when Severus Snape started to spy for the Order, Dumbledore's primary concern had been to keep Snape safe—that meant keeping him secret from the rest of the Order. Even when news of Voldemort's plans for the Potters was broken to the Headmaster, Snape's identity had remained a secret.

The new Order was far less trusting of outsiders these days, and with good reason. For months, it was presumed that Percy Weasley had been giving information on the Order to the other side. Though Percy was not a member of the Order, and was not aware of many of the internal workings of the operation, he could have easily betrayed the names of those inside Number Twelve on any given occasion; thus, giving Voldemort more information than any of them were comfortable with.

Percy's betrayal affected more than just his parents; the other Order members learned all too quickly how war can change outlooks on lives. Some of them knew, of course; Sirius Black knew all too well how Lord Voldemort could manipulate impressionable minds. He'd lost two best friends to the Death Eaters' ranks.

With a small _pop_, Albus Dumbledore appeared in the front lawn of where Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place would appear in moments. He reached into his midnight blue robes and pulled out his infamous Put-Outer. With a dozen clicks of the cigarette lighter-looking contraption, the street was dark, and he waited.

He didn't have to wait long though; his old, sharp eyes could see her shape appear at the end of the street. She'd followed his instructions perfectly, and was wearing a long black cloak with a hood to conceal her identity for the time being. She approached quickly and whispered a nervous hello. He smiled back reassuringly and barely audibly, whispered, "The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London."

She nodded once, closed her eyes tightly, and opened them again a moment or so later. He led her silently to the front step, tapped his wand on the door once, and entered the house. She entered first and waited for him to send the lights taken by his Put-Outer back to their lampposts. He gently led her by her arm through the dark house, towards the kitchen.

* * *

Sirius hadn't said a word since he'd returned from Hogwarts the night before. No, that wasn't exactly true; he'd muttered to Kingsley and Emmeline that he'd failed as a godfather... They, of course, told him he'd done no such thing, that he was the best thing to ever happen to Harry, but neither was sure he'd been listening.

The entire Order had arrived thirty minutes before, and was now awaiting the arrival of their leader. As they talked amongst themselves, a low buzzing of conversation filling the room until the door to the basement kitchen opened. All eyes immediately snapped to the top of the stairs where Dumbledore slowly descended and nodded hello to them.

"Good evening," he said softly. "I thank you all for coming tonight. This war has taken many unfortunate twists and turns in the last months, and there will be more unforeseen occurrences before it has ended. And it is time for us to up the stakes, as they say.

"Lord Voldemort has many plans for the direction he wishes this war to take. You are all aware of Severus Snape's role for our cause, and I think it time we have another contact in the enemy ranks. Since September, one of Voldemort's followers has been very stealthily sending me information. Through her, whether you have been aware of it or not, many terrible things have been averted. She has been reluctant to come to Order meetings since she's started passing along information, but I have convinced her to join us tonight.

"Those of you who were members of the Order during the first way may remember her. She has made mistakes in the past, and she has realized those mistakes. I want you all to know that I trust her as I trust any of you. She has proven herself to me as you all have in your own ways." He paused and looked to the top of the stairs. Though they hadn't seen it when Dumbledore arrived, they could now see a shadow just outside the door, shifting nervously. "You may join us now," Dumbledore said quietly to the shadow.

Kingsley nudged Sirius in the shoulder, waiting for his friend to look away from the spot on the table he'd been staring at for forty-five minutes. The black Auror nodded towards the staircase when his boss finally looked at him.

Slowly, Naomi entered the kitchen. The hood of her cloak still covered her head, but they both knew it was her. She stood beside Dumbledore, receiving curious, suspicious looks for those sitting around the table. She reached up with long fingers and lowered her hood, averting her hazel eyes so she didn't have to look at those who already knew her. None of them knew she'd become a Death Eater just before the Dark Lord fell; Sirius had only found out a few months before.

Sirius stared at her in confusion. He hadn't been listening to anything Dumbledore said since "good evening," and couldn't understand what the hell Naomi was doing in Order Headquarters. Dumbledore conjured a chair for her at the end of the table and motioned for her to take a seat next to Emmeline Vance. Sirius raised an eyebrow at Dumbledore for his choice in seating arrangements, but the headmaster looked away, his eyes twinkling.

* * *

Emmeline sat in an empty classroom at Hogwarts the next afternoon waiting for her pupil to arrive. The room had been hand-picked and charmed by Dumbledore for its seclusion on the seventh floor—it was just down the hall from the Room of Requirement.

A bell sounded throughout the school, signaling the end of classes for the day. Harry had been instructed by Minerva McGonagall to meet Emmeline before going to Gryffindor Tower or doing anything else. The boy's Occlumency lessons were to be kept secret from anybody outside the Order of the Phoenix or Harry's group of friends. Though it hadn't been said aloud yet, the Slytherin House was a threat to Hogwarts and its students. Whether those in Slytherin presently had joined Voldemort while they were in school or not, chances were high that most of them would after graduation. Sirius told her one night that he'd gone through the Death Eater files at the Ministry and nearly all of the Slytherins that were in their years at Hogwarts now had the Dark Mark.

Narcissa Malfoy (then Black) had been in Emmeline's year. Though Emmeline never saw her as a real threat then, she'd gone on to marry Lucius Malfoy, Lord Voldemort's second-in-command, as Naomi informed them at the Order meeting the night before. Emmeline was willing to bet anything she owned that their son would follow in his father's footsteps, from what she'd heard of him. If Draco Malfoy heard that Harry Potter was learning to block his mind from the Dark Lord... Emmeline tried not to think of the ways Voldemort could harm Harry.

The boy hadn't had a single dream since his poisoning, Sirius had told her. She desperately hoped she was helping with Occlumency. While they were hiking in France, Remus had told her about some of the dreams Harry had had since he came to live with his guardians. Remus and Sirius did everything they could think of to end the dreams—potions seemed to be their favorite cure—and still they couldn't save Harry from the pain of Voldemort's visions.

There was a hesitant knock at the door, and Emmeline called for him to enter. "Hello, Harry." Her smile faded as she took in his appearance. He looked more troubled than usual—which was saying something—and as if he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while. "You okay?" she asked as he deposited his schoolbag on one of the desks.

"Fine," he said. "You?"

She nodded slowly. "Not bad." She had an idea of what was eating at him, but would not bring it up. It wasn't her place, and if he wanted to talk about it, he would. "Well, let's get started, then," she said briskly. "I'm sure you're anxious to start on Lockhart's assignments," she added with a grin.

He smiled weakly. "Sure."

"Okay, since it's been a while since your last lesson, I thought we'd run through the basics again. You do well at blocking your mind, but it definitely doesn't hurt to freshen up your skills," she said, trying to capture his otherwise occupied mind. "Alright, Harry, let's start. Now that you're back in school, it's no longer illegal for you to use magic to defend yourself from mental invasion, but don't take out your wand just yet; first we're going to work without wands."

Harry stood from the desk he'd sat at and readied himself.

"On three, then. One... two... three... _Legilimens!_" Emmeline cried.

Though she hadn't tried hard, she easily broke through Harry's barriers almost immediately. Flashes of his worst memories flew before her eyes and he did nothing to stop it. When she was able to break free of his thoughts—his mind was unusually strong—both of them were sweating and panting heavily.

"You... all right... Harry?" she panted, pushing herself from the floor and rubbing her elbow.

Harry was doubled over. "Yeah..." he breathed. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Time for a break already, I think. Here have some chocolate," she said, picking up a bar of Honeyduke's finest from another desk and handing half to him. They sat in the desks, munching on their chocolate for a few moments.

"Lesson two, Harry, and probably the most important," she began. He looked over at her. "Occlumency is hard to do when your mind is preoccupied with other things. If you're dwelling on things that have upset you, whoever is trying to break through your mind's barriers will see those bad thoughts, as well. You've got to let go of your feelings and emotions in order to be successful with this. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Harry said, no longer looking at her.

Emmeline sighed. "Another go, then."

They both stood again, and again, Emmeline easily broke into Harry's mind. She saw snatches of the fight he and Sirius had a few nights before; she felt his heavy remorse for what he'd done to Sirius. Emmeline pulled away from his thoughts. Again, he was doubled over, his elbows resting on his knees, his face buried in his hands. But this time, it wasn't from exhaustion.

"Harry," she said softly.

"How is he?" he asked, standing shakily.

Emmeline hesitated. "Harry, I don't think I—"

"Look, you're closer to him that I am right now, and I've got no one else to ask," he said quietly.

Emmeline nodded. "He's not doing too well at the moment, Harry," she admitted. Harry looked down to the floor, biting his lip. "I know it's not my place to say this, but you really hurt him the other night."

"I know," he said. "I didn't mean..."

Emmeline smiled slightly as he fumbled over his words. "Most times, we don't mean the things we say to hurt those we love."

Harry snorted humorlessly. "You sound like Dumbledore," he muttered.

"What can I say? He's a hero of mine." She smirked. "Without getting too deep into Muggle psychology, some of the things we say... We may not want to say them, or even to think them, but somewhere deep down, there's something telling us we do mean them to some extent."

"You know Muggle psychology?" he asked curiously.

Emmeline nodded. "I'm pureblooded, but I was very interested in Muggles as a child. Odd, I know... But I took Muggle studies in school for four years, and after the first war, I studied at Cambridge for a few months." Harry surprised her by chuckling. "What?" she asked with a smile.

"Does Remus know this?" he asked, a grin forming on his face.

"Yes, Remus knows I studied at Cambridge. What's that got anything to do with it?'

Harry shrugged and shook his head. "Nothing at all," he said, still grinning.

"You're as bad as Sirius," she muttered with a smile. Harry's grin faded. "You and Sirius will be okay. Just give it some time."

Harry nodded pensively. "Hey, Emmeline, can I ask you something?" he said hesitantly.

"Sure," she replied kindly.

"The other night... Sirius said the searches for Remus stopped... Is that true?"

Emmeline sighed heavily. "It's true. Harry, we've done everything we could do. He's just... nowhere..."

Harry looked to his feet as if they would reassure him that Remus was okay. "So you've all just given up on him? Just like that?"

"It wasn't done that easily, Harry," she assured him. "We thought Sirius was going to murder Dumbledore for only suggesting it, and he wasn't the only one... It's been almost three months, though, and as much as I don't want to admit it... I just don't see how he could have survived. Especially after the full moons," she said quietly, every word costing her something painful to admit. When she spoke again, she felt as if she had a head cold. "You should probably get to dinner, eh? We can finish our lesson another day."

Harry nodded in understanding. He silently stood from the desk, picked up his school bag, and started to leave the room. Before he left, he turned in time to see Emmeline wipe her eyes on her robe. "Thanks, Emmeline... For, you know, listening."

"Anytime, Harry."

* * *

Kingsley and Tonks sat alone in the kitchen of Number Twelve. Molly and Arthur had gone to bed early—a habit they'd formed after learning of Percy—and Sirius hadn't been seen since the three Aurors returned from the Ministry.

The two were looking over a large map that covered the entire kitchen table. It had been used to chart attacks by the Death Eaters in hopes of somehow discovering a pattern or something.

"Kingsley, look at this," Tonks said quietly, pointing at something on the map. The wizard stood from his end of the table and went to Tonks, placing an arm on either side of her. "There seems to be an area with absolutely nothing on it. Here, in the Albanian forest. It's saying nothing's happened there, but that doesn't make sense... That's where the werewolf colonies were slaughtered."

Kingsley looked at the dots surrounding the forest, forming a circle, but none within the trees. There should have been large red dots at either end of the circle marking where the werewolves were attacked. "Do we know what else was in that circle... besides werewolves, I mean?" he asked, examining the area closer.

"No," Tonks answered. "I tried to zoom in, but it won't let me..."

"Hmm..." Kingsley muttered. He straightened up and reached across the table for his wand.

The map, designed by Remus and Sirius, was supposed to allow the viewer to zoom in on any location with one tap of a qualified wand. Once zoomed in on an area, details would appear about the location. It was inspired by the Marauders Map, and some of the Order members were working to improve it—they hoped to charm the map to show all the members of the Order and their locations, just like the Marauder's Map did for Hogwarts.

"What's wrong with this thing?" Kingsley muttered, tapping the circle in Albania that showed nothing but trees.

"Does this map show Number Twelve?" Tonks asked, more to herself. She moved around the table to examine London and tapping the map with her wand. "Yes, it does..." she said, answering her own question.

"Maybe... Kingsley said thoughtfully, "the only reason it shows us Number Twelve is because we know its here. Maybe there's something in Albania with the Fidelius Charm over it..."

"But why?" she asked, staring at Kingsley.

* * *

Harry entered the Great Hall and spotted his friends at the Gryffindor table. He silently sat between Ron and Ginny and started scooping macaroni and cheese and roast beef onto his plate. He patiently answered Hermione's questions about his Occlumency lesson without telling anyone what he'd discussed with Emmeline—he was still digesting the information himself. Hermione forgot about her meal as she grilled Harry for details of the lessons—how it felt, what happened afterwards. Sensing that Harry didn't feel like answering, Ron called a passing first year Hufflepuff girl a midget. The girl looked at him like she was going to cry, and Hermione immediately started to berate Ron, taking her attention away from Harry. Beside him, Ginny chuckled into her pumpkin juice, and Harry grinned weakly at her.

Harry quickly found that he wasn't hungry tonight; actually, he hadn't eaten since the Halloween feast three nights previous. The small amount of chocolate Emmeline had given him at his Occlumency lesson had nearly made him ill. He tried to eat a few bites of roast beef off his plate, but it tasted bland.

He needed to write to Sirius, to talk to him. He'd attempted to reach his godfather on the two-way mirrors, but he hadn't answered. It was the first time ever that Sirius hadn't answered Harry's calls. Sirius wouldn't just cut Harry off; maybe his godfather was just busy with work...

Harry shook his head. Emmeline told him Sirius wasn't doing too well at the moment... but what did that mean? He knew he'd hurt Sirius deeply with what he said in the hospital wing. It was a well-known fact that Sirius Black's life revolved around Harry James Potter. No one besides Remus could claim to love Harry as much as Sirius did.

"I'm going to the Owlery," Harry said to Ginny, pushing his plate away from him.

"Do you want some company?" she asked quietly.

Harry shook his head. "No, I need to write Sirius," he muttered. She smiled in understanding and told him she'd cover with Ron and Hermione for him—the two of them were still arguing about the treatment of the younger students.

Harry left the Great Hall quickly. He could feel the eyes of Dumbledore and Mad-Eye on him, following his progress. He was almost convinced the Headmaster had two magical eyes to Mad-Eye's one. There always seemed to be more to Dumbledore than he let on to anybody. Remus had told him numerable times that Albus Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard to ever live. Harry knew many things about Dumbledore's greatness—his ability to see through Invisibility Cloaks, how he always seemed to know what people were thinking, and how he loved lemon drops.

"Harry, wait up!" Ginny called from behind him.

He stopped and let her catch up and they silently walked down the corridors to the Owlery together. Just as they were about to turn their last corner, another voice called out to Harry. "Not lost are you, Potter?" the voice sneered.

Harry's jaw clenched as he turned to face Draco Malfoy. Carefully, he reached into his robes for his wand. "What do you want?" he asked coldly, instinctively stepping in front of Ginny.

Malfoy smirked. "Just to talk, Potter."

"Yeah? Okay, let's talk. So how's your dad, Malfoy? My godfather says he's living off rats these days. Is that true?" Harry asked in mock-concern. "That can't be healthy."

"Shut up, Potter," Malfoy snapped, his eyes narrowing. "You're _godfather _is useless. They should send him back to Azkaban where he belongs." In a split-second, two wands were pointed between Malfoy's eyes. Harry glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Ginny just beside him. "Touchy subject, Potter?" Malfoy went on quietly. "What about your pet werewolf? I hear he was the one who slaughtered those two colonies in Albania."

Before Harry or Ginny could think of a good enough spell to use on Malfoy, a white light filled the corridor, nearly blinding all three students. When the light faded, Ginny looked down and started to laugh uncontrollably.

"What?" Harry asked. She couldn't answer; she was leaning on him for support, but she pointed down. At their feet was a white ferret with cold, wide, grey eyes, curled up on the stone floor, trembling.

"That oughta teach him to talk about things he don't know about," Mad-Eye Moody growled, stepping out from behind a wall.


	13. Thirteen

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Thirteen_

_Just after midnight, James Apparated to the front door of his large family home. He was looking quite forward to having a butterbeer, changing out of his itchy dress robes, and climbing into his own bed. Earlier that day had been the funeral for Remus' parents. Being the dedicated friend he was, James had spent the last few days at Sirius' flat making sure Remus wasn't falling into a depression. Soon, he and Sirius would be going to stay with Naomi and her parents for the remainder of the summer. Unfortunately, the time had come that James needed to return to his own home. Sirius was there, however, as was Naomi if Remus needed anybody. _

_The naturally quiet, reserved boy had been even more withdrawn since he'd found his parents dead in their bedroom. Not that James blamed Remus one bit; he'd probably have to be admitted to St. Mungo's if he'd found his parents like that..._

_Yawning widely, James opened the front door with a tap of his wand. None of the lights in the house were on, but that didn't surprise James. His mother had been quite upset for the past few days; she and Mrs. Lupin had been very good friends._

_James walked to the kitchen and pulled out a cold butterbeer from the icebox. He cracked it open and raised it to his lips, but before he could take a sip, a muffled crash sounded above him. James lowered the bottle slowly and looked to the ceiling with raised eyebrows. Panic began to set in when he heard heavy footsteps and muttered curses._

_He quickly set the bottle down on the kitchen counter and sprinted through the hallways. He slid on a rug as he turned a corner, but grabbed the banister of the staircase before he fell. He took the stairs, three at a time in silence, something he'd mastered in his years of pranking and needing a quick escape. _

_He turned another corner when he reached the top of the stairs and stopped dead in his tracks. Voices could be heard from his parents' bedroom, but they weren't the voices James was so familiar with; these voices were menacing and, though James couldn't hear what they were saying, he was sure they were threatening._

_Cautiously, he crept along the wall to where the bedroom door was cracked open just a bit. He peaked through and felt all the color drain from his face in an instant. His mother and father were sitting against the wall, tied from their shoulders down, three wands pointed at them. He could see shadows moving around the room—four, at least—as he reached for his wand. He'd only have one chance._

_Steeling up all of his courage, and making sure he had a steady grip on his wand, James kicked the door open. _

"EXPELLIARMUS_!" he shouted._

"PROTEGO! EXPELLIARMUS!_" a man in a black cloak shouted at the same time. _

_James' wand flew from his hand. He was pulled roughly into the room by a rather beefy-looking man and slammed to the floor against the wall. He winced painfully as he tried to push himself from the floor; he'd probably dislocated a shoulder... _

_James looked over to his parents. His mother was staring at him horror-struck, silent tears running down her face. Evidently, a silencing charm had been placed on her. James felt a sense of pride as he thought that his mother always could scream pretty damn loud—_

"_Let him go," James' father growled. He was breathing heavily and looked quite pale in his face, but he managed a glare towards his attackers that James felt quite afraid of. "He's got nothing to do with this."_

"_No, I don't think we're going to let him go just yet," said one of the black-cloaked figures. James only now realized they were all wearing white masks. "You must be James," he said, turning to the youngest Potter. "Your mother and father think quite highly of you, you know. And we are so pleased you could join us. You're right on time."_

"_What do you want?" James breathed, sounding more courageous than he felt._

"_To see you suffer, young Potter." James could almost hear the man smiling._

"_Fuck you," James growled._

"_Tsk, tsk. Such a mouth on you. Didn't your dear mother ever teach you not to use such words? _SCOURGIFY_!"_

_James suddenly found himself choking on pink soap bubbles. Strangely enough, he was thinking that this was how his friends would find him... _

_The Death Eaters all had a good long laugh at his expense before the charm was lifted. James' head was spinning as he gasped for air. _

"_Leave him alone," his father said again. This time, James heard the pleading in his father's voice. "Let him go. Do what you will with us, but he's innocent."_

"_No!" James yelled. He suddenly found a strength he didn't know he possessed. Ignoring his father's repeated cries for him to stop, James charged at the Death Eater closest to him, sending them both to the ground. Before he could move, James felt himself floating in the air, and being slammed against the wall again. _

"CRUCIO_!" cried the Death Eater James had knocked over. _

_Horrible pain... There was nothing James could even relate it to. Except, perhaps, the time that bludger hit him full force in the back, but even that would be a relief compared to what he was currently feeling. James cried out loud, arching his back as the pain shot from his brain to his toes and back a dozen times in a matter of seconds. He was going to die, he was sure of it. He'd never get to see his friends again... Never get to tell Lily how he really felt about her and that he was sorry for being a prat... _

_Then the pain was over. James collapsed to the carpet again, gasping for air, sure his muscles had been torn to pieces. He could hear the Death Eaters shouting threats at him and his parents, he could hear his father asking if he was all right, but he couldn't respond._

"_I think it's time we end this," one of the Death Eaters growled, staring maliciously from Potter to Potter to Potter. "The Dark Lord doesn't appreciate your meddling and he wishes it to end. Now." He pointed his wand at James' mother. Before he could say a word, the Death Eater shouted, "_AVADA KEDAVRA_!"_

_The brightest green light James had ever seen in his life was emitted from the man's wand. "Mum..." he whispered weakly as the jet hit his mother in the chest—she slumped over to the floor, her hazel eyes still wide with terror. His father was screaming and crying. James couldn't even feel the tears slide down from his own eyes._

_The Death Eater was speaking again. "And now for Mister Potter..."_

"_No, please," James croaked hoarsely._

_The same green light hit his father in a matter of seconds. James stared at his parents' lifeless bodies, his mind blank, his eyes wide with terror. He was alone. His parents were dead. He was an orphan. What ever happened to not killing the purebloods? None of the other pureblood families had been killed in the war—why his? _

"_What about the boy?" one of the Death Eaters asked. James didn't even register that it sounded like a female voice. _Kill me, too_, he found himself thinking. _I want my mum... Just kill me...

"_Leave him," the Death Eater in charge said carelessly. "The Dark Lord said nothing about him... But before we leave... _Incendio_," he muttered carelessly. With a wave of his wand, the bodies of James' parents had caught fire. The smell was enough to make anyone lose their dinner, but James couldn't even register that..._

_Three loud cracks sounded in the room. Before the last Death Eater left, he pointed his wand to the ceiling and shouted, "_MORSMORDRE!_" _

An emerald green skull flew threw the ceiling, undoubtedly setting itself just above the house. The last Death Eater was finally gone...

_  
James sat against the wall, his jaw set, and pulled his knees to his chest. He stared straight ahead for what seemed like hours. That was how the Aurors found him later that morning. That was how Sirius and Peter found him..._

* * *

Sirius sat straight up in his bed, dripping in sweat and gulping for air. His grey eyes wide, he looked around his dark bedroom, finding it as empty as it had been before he'd closed his eyes. He tried to relax—he hadn't had a nightmare like that in years, and this one was probably the worst of the lot. He rubbed at his eyes roughly, trying to get the images of what he'd just seen to go away. Blindly, he reached over to his bedside table for his wand, waved it around his room once, and was relieved when light surrounded him.

_This is why I don't sleep anymore,_ he thought bitterly. _I'm afraid of the bloody dark..._

Growing frustrated with his inability to get comfortable again, he pushed the blankets away from him and got out of bed, pulling a t-shirt over himself as he went to the kitchen. He glared at the covered portrait of his mother as he passed, her snores filling his ears.

He made it to the kitchen where the Order members who'd been there earlier had left their notes and maps scattered all over the table. He ignored the mess and went to the pantry to retrieve a new bottle of firewhiskey he'd talked Dung into picking up for him, and a goblet. Maybe a couple of shots could make him forget about that dream...

All his friends had been there, the ones who shouldn't have been there—Lily, James, Julia. That part was like the one he'd had after he'd been released from Azkaban. They'd blamed him for their deaths, which was nothing new. What had really frightened Sirius was the second part of the dream—what they'd shown him. It had to have been the future; Harry looked to be about seventeen and he was fighting Voldemort. It was a full moon, and Remus was there. Sirius wasn't able to transform into Padfoot. Moony was being controlled by Wormtail, who'd somehow gained his soul back. Sirius was powerless to help as Moony attacked Harry...

Sirius closed his eyes tightly, preferring the white stars that had erupted to _those_ bloody images again. After a few more shots of Ogden's, he was able to convince himself that, not only would Remus never attack Harry, but Wormtail couldn't get his soul back—there was no known way for a victim of the Dementor's Kiss to recover. It took him a few more shots to realize Remus couldn't attack Harry if he wasn't alive... This realization caused him to take three more shots.

By the time Emmeline wandered into the kitchen less than an hour later, Sirius had drunk half the bottle. "That can't be good for you," she said lightly, leaning against the counter he was sitting on. The moment he set the bottle down, she lifted it to her lips and took a long swig.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Not bad, Vance," he slurred.

She grinned and winked. "So what's with the drinking binge at two a.m.?"

"Bad dreams," he mumbled, staring at the floor.

"You know, it probably wouldn't hurt for you to take a few Occlumency lessons," she said thoughtfully.

Sirius grinned weakly. "Speaking of Occlumency," he muttered. "How's my godson?"

"About as good as you, sans for the firewhiskey," she said matter-of-factly. Sirius reached out clumsily for the bottle, but Emmeline hid it behind her back. "I think you've had more enough of this, Sirius," she said sternly.

Sirius' eyes widened slightly. "My god, you're perfect for Moony," he muttered.

Her lips twitched but she had no other reaction to the comment. "Feel like talking?"

Sirius sighed heavily. "I don't know what there is to talk about..." Emmeline raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked.

"Well," she began slowly, "you've been miserable for months."

"I have not."

"Yes, you have. You're worrying about everything, which is understandable, but you're letting it dictate your life. There's nothing you can do to change any of this, Sirius."

"Have you ever lost someone close to you, Emmeline?" he asked quietly.

"You know I have, Sirius," she said. "Remember Marlene... and Hestia?"

Sirius winced. "Right, sorry," he mumbled.

Emmeline rolled her eyes. "Look, you can't just let what's happened shut you down. If that happens, they win."

"I've never had to deal with any of this alone. In the first war, I had James. Until August, I had Remus. Now what do I have?"

"You have Harry," she said simply. "And I'd like to think you and I aren't exactly enemies. There's Tonks and Kingsley." Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but Emmeline cut him off. "Harry doesn't hate you, so don't even start with that. He feels horrible for what he said to you, he told me. That boy thinks the world of you. He knows you've been avoiding him. Don't look at me like that, either; I've noticed too. And if you want my honest opinion—which you're going to get whether you like it or not—you're both acting quite juvenile. You know how war is, Sirius, and you know it only takes a few seconds for things to change. Don't let something stupid like teenage angst ruin the relationship you have with Harry."

Neither said anything more for a few moments until Sirius chuckled and shook his head.

"What is so funny?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sirius jumped off the counter and kissed her cheek. "You really are perfect for Moony." He grinned before going up the stairs to bed.

* * *

Inside Auror Headquarters, it was a normal Saturday for those working overtime. Most of the Aurors, including Sirius Black, hadn't had a day off in months. They weren't the only department within the Ministry with this problem, though; every department from Floo Regulation to Magical Games and Sports had become involved in the efforts against Lord Voldemort. None of them complained about their long hours, and if they did it fell upon deaf ears—there were bigger things to worry about than a few people working until midnight.

Sirius had just finished briefing his Aurors on what was happening and assigning more people to their ever-growing workload. For the hour and a half that he spoke, he didn't smile once, didn't crack one joke—a first in his career as Head Auror. He'd always tried to make his Aurors feel that things weren't as bad as they seemed, but at the moment, he didn't feel he could fake giving them false hope.

The Aurors were leaving the meeting to go back to work on their respective tasks when the owl flew through the door. It was an express owl from Hogwarts, and the letter it carried was as vague as every other letter from Albus Dumbledore that Sirius had read.

_Please come to Hogwarts immediately._

"Everything all right?" Kingsley asked, noticing how Sirius paled at the letter.

"What do you think?" Sirius muttered. Without another word, he left Auror Headquarters, pushing past Tonks when she tried to stop him. He walked dazedly to the Atrium where he would Floo to Hogwarts.

_What could have possibly happened now?_ he wondered. Considering the turns his life had taken over the last months, Harry was probably near death... again. _Don't think like that_, he chided himself. _Harry's safe at Hogwarts._

_He was supposed to be safe nine years ago too, _said the cynical part of his mind.

Pushing every thought from his mind, Sirius made his way through the departing line to the fireplaces, took a pinch of Floo powder from the gold basin between the fireplaces, stepped in, and said clearly, "Hogwarts, Headmaster's office."

He stepped out of the fireplace into the grand study belonging to Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster stood in greeting, and Sirius immediately realized they were not alone. He resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at Madame Maxime, and instead nodded hello to the both of them.

"What happened, Albus?" Sirius asked flatly.

To his great shock, Dumbledore smiled and sat behind his desk, gesturing for Sirius to sit beside Maxime. "Madame Maxime arrived not an hour ago with some very interesting news that she wished to share with you, Sirius," he said.

Sirius looked up at the Beauxbatons headmistress in question. "And what would that news be?" he asked, hoping he sounded more polite than he thought he did.

"I beelieve, Monsieur Black," Maxime said in her deep French accent. "Zat I 'ave found somezing zat beelongs to you."

Now Sirius did raise an eyebrow. "And what would that be?" he asked quietly, his heart racing for some odd reason.

"Perhaps we should go to ze 'ospital wing, Dumblydore?" the witch asked with a smile.

"That is a fine idea, my dear Madame Maxime," Dumbledore responded, standing. "Will you accompany us, Sirius?"

Sirius stood without hesitation, quite anxious about whatever it was he was about to see. He followed the Headmaster and Headmistress out of the office and through the deserted corridors of Hogwarts. _Must be a Hogsmeade weekend,_ he thought vaguely.

"Why do we have to go to the hospital wing?" he asked, trying to keep up with Maxime's long strides. Dumbledore didn't seem to have any problem. The headmaster didn't reply; he smiled mysteriously, not looking at Sirius and continued down his path.

A strange, unidentifiable knot began to form in the Auror's stomach as they walked. When the large oak doors of the hospital wing came into view, the knot seemed to spread to every other part of his body.

Dumbledore pushed open the doors, holding them open for his two companions, and closed them silently behind him. Sirius looked around the hospital wing, not seeing anything that could possibly interest him.

"Why are we here?" he asked quietly, looking back at Dumbledore.

Again, Dumbledore smiled mysteriously—that was really starting to annoy Sirius—his eyes twinkling wildly. Sirius hadn't seen him so happy (was he happy?) in years. "Turn around, my boy," he said softly.

Sighing, Sirius did as instructed. On his first glance of the wing, he hadn't noticed that a large section at the far end had been blocked off by a curtain. Without realizing when or how, Sirius' feet began to carry him towards the curtain—there was something behind it he needed to see very badly.

His heart was beating somewhere in his throat as he reached out a shaking hand to pull the curtain aside. Madam Pomfrey was bent over a hospital bed, working madly with something—or some_one_. She shifted aside a bit, reaching for a potions bottle, and Sirius got a glimpse of what was in the bed.

He didn't even feel the impact of the floor when he hit it.

* * *

After a full day in Hogsmeade Village and a large dinner, Harry was feeling somewhat better than he had in weeks. That wasn't saying much, though, since he was also still feeling quite miserable. For a few days, he'd wondered if perhaps the dementors on Halloween had left some sort of nasty side effects, but Hermione had told him he was being stupid and threw a chocolate frog at him. Her mood towards him since Halloween had been sour; she was quite upset with him for sneaking off to Hogsmeade without telling anybody. "You're lucky the Order showed up when they did," she said, "or you'd be worse than dead."

His professors hadn't been too thrilled with his behavior, either. He was sure that everywhere he went now, either Mad-Eye, McGonagall, or Dumbledore would be following him. And if they weren't following him, it was just mere coincidence that they turned up around almost any corner...

Sirius had still been quite unreachable. Reaching desperate measures, Harry had gone to Professor McGonagall to inquire about his godfather. McGonagall had told him that Sirius was quite all right and was perfectly capable of answering Harry's letters. No, she didn't know why Sirius seemed to be avoiding him, but she had papers to grade, and would he please get going to his next class.

All in all, McGonagall had been absolutely no help.

Lying in his bed, staring at the canopy above him, Harry thought back to dinner that night. McGonagall hadn't been there. Nor had Mad-Eye or Dumbledore. Were they having another meeting at Number Twelve?

The students had eaten quickly that night. Lockhart had stood up in the middle of the hall and started to demonstrate how to properly dispose of a troll that had been bitten by a vampire.

"And he's supposed to be teaching us Potions," Seamus had said in disgust. Seamus lost his appetite a short time later and returned to the Gryffindor common room.

"Hey, Harry," Ron said from the bed beside him. "Can I have a look at the Marauder's Map?"

"Sure," Harry muttered, rolling over to his side to open his end table. He retrieved the aged piece of parchment and an old photo album Remus had given him a few years ago. He handed Ron the map and lit a candle beside his bed.

Harry vaguely heard Ron mutter, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," as he opened the dark red leather book.

Remus had filled the photo album with pictures of Harry's parents, their friends, and baby pictures of Harry. Most of them were quite humorous—someone had caught Sirius in the act of rigging an invisible water bucket above a sofa. The next picture showed Lily and Julia pushing Sirius onto said sofa so that he was the one drenched in water.

Others showed the Marauders in their youth in various places—by the Hogwarts lake, in Hogsmeade, at James' home during the summer. In the very back of the photo album were all the pictures of Sirius, Remus, and Harry in various poses and moments. One in particular showed Sirius and Harry eight years ago, sleeping on the sofa at the cottage. Another showed Remus and Harry at ten years old reading a book together. Harry's favorite picture of the lot was the one taken on the day he'd received his Hogwarts letter. He and his guardians were grinning broadly at the camera while Harry held up his letter.

"Er... Harry..." Ron said weakly from his bed.

Harry quickly wiped his eyes and slammed the album shut. "Yeah?" he asked rather hoarsely.

"You might want to see this..."

Harry moved to the edge of the bed closest to Ron. His friend was looking rather pale as he stared from the map to Harry. "What's up?" Harry asked.

"Is this thing ever wrong?" Ron asked slowly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "No..."

"Okay, you need to have a look, then..."

Slowly, Harry took the map from Ron's shaking hands and examined it. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary—Dumbledore, Mad-Eye, and McGonagall were in the Headmaster's study; Lockhart was in his private quarters, probably curling his wig. "What am I supposed to be seeing?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Look at the hospital wing," Ron said anxiously.

Harry scanned the corridors and the map magically shifted aside to show the hospital wing. There were two names sitting close together. His eyes widened at the first name, but the second one caused him to sprint out of the dormitory before the map had even fallen to the floor.

He tore through the common room, ignoring indignant yells of the second years he shoved aside, and practically dove through the portrait hole. He also ignored the Fat Lady's muffled cries as her portrait hit the opposite wall, and continued to run faster than he'd ever run in his life. He took the stairs three at a time, not even stopping when he twisted his ankle on the last step.

He turned a corner and ran directly into Gilderoy Lockhart with curlers in his hair. "My dear boy!" Lockhart yelled. "What _are_ you doing?"

Harry ignored him. He had to get to the hospital wing... One more flight of steps... two more corridors... one right turn...

He burst through the large oak doors, tripping over his bare feet. He stood again, running to the end of the wing, slipping on the slick floor. He slid to a stop next to his godfather, and gripped the wizard's Ministry robes for support.

"Is it him?" Harry asked quietly, staring wide-eyed at the bed.

"Yeah," Sirius said hoarsely. Harry could hear the smile in his voice. "Yeah, it's him, kid."

Harry laughed slightly, leaning on Sirius for support. His godfather wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close for a hug.

"How?" Harry managed to ask weakly, his voice muffled in Sirius' shoulder.

"Don't know, don't care..." Sirius laughed, pulling away from the hug. "Sit... here, take my chair... What'd you do to your ankle?"

"Dunno," Harry muttered, staring at Remus' unconscious form. "He looks horrible..."

That was an understatement. Remus' face was swollen, with cuts and bruises covering nearly every inch. He looked to have grown a few new patches of grey hair in the last few months. He didn't look as though he'd eaten at all in that time. His right leg was in a cast and looked to have been broken in several places.

"Should have seen him when I got here," Sirius whispered, sitting beside Harry. "Madam Pomfrey's cleared up most of the mess. He's got some internal bleeding as well, but Poppy says she can take care of that. He's also got a rather bad concussion, which is why he's unconscious. She's been pumping him full of different potions every thirty minutes..."

"He's gonna be okay, though, right?" Harry asked, his eyes wide in worry.

"Yeah, yeah, he's going to be fine. He'll probably have a long recovery period where he won't be able to do or handle much, but..." Sirius grinned suddenly. "It's really him, Harry. Dumbledore and Mad-Eye did every identity test known to wizardkind. There's no mistaking it this time."

Neither of them left the hospital wing that night. Neither of them could bring themselves to leave now that Remus was in front of them. There really weren't any words that could possibly explain how either of them felt at the moment.

Only when Madam Pomfrey threatened to levitate them into beds at three in the morning did they agree to lie down. But neither of them closed their eyes until just before sunrise.


	14. Fourteen

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Fourteen_

At the far end of a cold, dark room was what looked to be a jail cell. Inside the cell was a pale-looking man in his late-thirties with long, black hair and a long, crooked nose. He wore dirty black robes that were torn in places. For the most part, the man seemed unharmed; he had a few bruises on his face, but was otherwise unmarked. He seemed to be waiting for something—or someone. No, something was a better description for what he was waiting for. For nearly two months, he'd been waiting for his fate to be decided. It wasn't like the Dark Lord to be merciful... If Severus Snape had never admitted to being afraid in his life, this was the moment he would admit it.

Chances were high that he would die soon. The Dark Lord did not forgive those who betrayed him, and Severus Snape had most definitely betrayed him. He'd saved the life of the Dark Lord's primary threat, Harry Potter. The boy had been poisoned and Snape had made the antidote to stop the poison from eating his insides. Snape had known he would regret helping Potter, and it seemed he was right. The only good thing to come out of this whole mess (if you could call it a good thing) was that the life debt owed to Potter's father was now repaid in full, and with some extra compensation.

The door to the room opened slowly, and Snape could make out the glow of bright scarlet eyes. "Hello, Severus," a sibilant voice said softly, a skeleton-like hand waving to light the candles around the room.

"My Lord," Snape muttered, going to his knees immediately. It would not help him to disrespect the Dark Lord now...

The Dark Lord approached the bars of Snape's cell, allowing his "faithful" Death Eater to kiss his robes. "Stand, Severus," he said lazily.

Snape stood, hoping his death wouldn't be long and drawn out—he just wanted to get this over with.

"You have disappointed me deeply," the Dark Lord said. "You have been among my most loyal of Death Eaters since your youth, and you've chosen now to betray my trust. Why is this?"

_I've only one chance for survival. I must choose my words carefully,_ he thought, not as desperately as a man who knew he was preparing for certain death may. "I had no other options, my Lord. The Mudblood-lover Dumbledore would have known something was amiss if I refused to prepare the antidote."

"That is true," the Dark Lord said thoughtfully.

"I assure you, my Lord, that I did not save Potter for any other reasons than to keep my cover at Hogwarts," Snape continued. Perhaps he may get out of this after all...

"Then you deny any life debt between yourself and James Potter?"

"There was a life debt, my Lord, many years ago, but as I said, there was no other reason than my mission for you."

"I see." The Dark Lord remained silent for long moments, deciding Snape's fate. "I am not the type to give second chances, Severus, but you are much too useful to my cause to allow you to be disposed of."

"My Lord?" Snape inquired quietly.

"I will allow you to live this time. You will return to your post at Hogwarts and await further instruction." With a wave of his long, bony hand, the cell surrounding Snape disappeared. The prisoner did not move from his position—surely, it couldn't be that easy... "You are free to go," the Dark Lord said, gesturing to the door.

"Yes, my Lord," Snape murmured, falling to his knees once more. "Thank you, my Lord."

"Do not allow your loyalties to waver, Severus. Remember it was I who made you what you are."

"Of course, my Lord," Snape said, standing. The Dark Lord dismissed him silently, and he started out of the cold room when he was called back. He knew there was no way it could be this easy for him, and again, he was right.

"_Crucio!_"

* * *

Remus J. Lupin felt horrible.

Well, that wasn't entirely true; while he wasn't feeling his best at the moment, he'd felt much worse in the very recent past.

He was very stiff, and was sure his body would put up a fight if he attempted to move. Not that he wanted to move at the moment—wherever he'd found to rest was the best place he'd picked so far. He was comfortable, for a change. The surface was vaguely familiar, very soft... Maybe he'd finally died...

No, he was pretty sure that when a person died, they couldn't think—and he could.

He tried to open his eyes, but only succeeded in lifting one eyelid very slightly. From what he could see of his surroundings, it was quite dark. Painfully, he opened his eye further. He was in a dark room... Okay, that's one thing taken care of... But was this a friendly place? He supposed Death Eaters wouldn't be courteous enough to give him a soft bed, so it must be somewhere good.

He shifted his head a bit to the right and regretted it immediately. Apparently his head no longer moved in that direction. He ignored the sharp pain in his neck and studied the mass of black in his line of sight.

It looked like hair, very messy hair, at that. There were only two people he could think of with hair like that, but one had died many years ago, and the other couldn't possibly be where he was. He tried for long minutes to raise his right hand, to test the hair, to see if it was real. Maybe he was hallucinating again—he'd hallucinated a lot in the last few months.

His elbow wouldn't function correctly, but his wrist would. Very tentatively, he moved his arm forward on the soft mattress and laid his hand on the head of hair. It was real. Relief spread through him at the same time as a wave of panic. If this was who he thought it was, how the bloody hell had he gotten all the way out here?

"Harry," he tried to say. It instead came out as some strange, raspy sound he'd never heard come from his own mouth before. Whatever the sound was, it worked; Harry began to stir. Remus' hand was still on the boy's head when it rose. He winced in preparation for his hand to hit a hard surface before remembering he was in a soft bed.

He watched Harry sit up in the chair he was in and look around the room. The boy raised his arms above his heads to stretch and yawn before turning to Remus. Normally, Remus would have laughed at the look on Harry's face and the way the boy jumped, but his brain wouldn't cooperate.

"Remus?" Harry said disbelievingly.

"Hey," Remus breathed.

Harry emitted a short laugh. "SIRIUS!" he yelled. "Sirius, get out here! It's Remus!"

There was a loud crash somewhere on the other side of the room followed by a strangled curse. Remus tried to grin; he knew that voice...

Sirius burst through a curtain, his face a bit pale as he looked around wildly. A grin started to spread across his face as he approached the bed. "Moony," he said with obvious relief.

"'Lo, Padfoot," Remus said before coughing violently. Harry went to get him a goblet of water while Sirius helped him sit up.

"Don't try to talk, Remus," he muttered, sitting beside Remus on the bed. "Pomfrey says you've got some problems with your lungs, and you should save your breath."

Remus leaned his head on Sirius' shoulder, waiting for Harry to return. His breathing was quick and rasping once his coughing stopped, but it felt good to have someone familiar beside him, rubbing his back. Harry returned a short time later with a goblet of ice-cold water, and it was the best Remus had tasted in a long while. Sirius helped him take a few sips before making him lie down once again.

"You need to get your rest," Sirius said. "We can talk once you've gotten better, all right?"

Remus tried to nod before he passed out again.

* * *

Sirius stood from Remus' bed and conjured a chair to sit beside Harry. Madam Pomfrey had told him it might be a long while before Remus would wake, due to the injuries to his head and the rest of his body. The nurse had said that Remus was "completely exhausted in every sense of the word—physically, mentally, emotionally, and magically." He would need months to recover completely under the watchful (and protective) eye of a trained Healer. Sirius convinced her that Remus couldn't stay in the Hogwarts hospital wing for two or three months, and he didn't trust St. Mungo's to keep Remus safe. He told the nurse that he could take care of him. Two weeks, Pomfrey said, after Remus finally woke he would need to stay with her at the very least. This was to ensure there were no complications with the different potions he had to take.

The internal bleeding Remus had upon his arrival three days previous had taken a day to locate and stop. She'd told Sirius confidentially that Remus was lucky to have survived at all—the three full moons had done considerable damage to his body and the injuries he'd sustained between them did nothing to help.

"Sirius," Harry said quietly.

"Hmm?" Sirius grunted.

"Are you going to tell him about everything that's happened?"

"Eventually, yeah," Sirius muttered. "He'll want to know, and he can always tell when I'm hiding something from him, so I kinda have to. Won't do it until he's out of here, though; there's no telling what that kind of news could do to his state of mind."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "His state of mind? Do you think he's gone mental or something?"

Sirius chuckled. "Remus has always been a bit mental, Harry. But no, that's not what I meant. We don't know what he's been through these past months. A lot could have happened to him, you know, that could have affected his mind, and there's really no way to tell until he's right enough to tell us," he said quietly.

Harry nodded pensively. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to lose his nerve and snapped it shut again. After another hour of slightly tense silence, Harry quietly announced he needed to get back to his dorm—he still had some homework, and there was Quidditch practice tomorrow.

"Night, Harry," Sirius said, watching his godson leave. They still hadn't had a full conversation since Halloween—they'd been sticking to neutral subjects, like Remus. As much as Sirius hated the terms of silence he was on with Harry, he would not be the one to bring up their fight.

"Hey," said a voice.

Sirius looked up and smiled as Emmeline's face poked around the white curtain. "Hey, come on in. You just missed Harry," he said.

Emmeline moved around Remus bed and sat beside Sirius. "Have you two kissed and made up, yet?"

"No, not yet," Sirius said heavily. "He's talking to me, but only about Remus."

"That's something, right?" Emmeline asked. "How's the patient?"

"Alive," Sirius said warily. "That's about all we know right now. He woke up earlier, and he recognized Harry and me, so I guess that's a start, right?"

* * *

Harry walked into the fifth year boys' dorm feeling guilty. He'd been so close to apologizing to Sirius for what he'd said on Halloween, but hadn't been able to bring himself to ruin the mood his godfather was in after Remus' awakening.

He received a slight shock to find all four of the Weasleys sitting on or beside Ron's bed. Fred and George were on the floor, looking angrier than Harry had ever seen them, and Ginny looked ready to cry from her spot on Ron's bed; Ron, himself, didn't seem to know what to do.

"Er, hey, guys," Harry said, moving slowly to his bed. There were various noises to tell him his friends had acknowledged his presence, but nothing more. "What's going on?" he asked cautiously.

Ginny smiled bitterly. "Got a letter from Bill tonight," she said quietly. She picked up a piece of parchment and handed it across the bed to Harry. He took the letter and sat on his bed to read it.

_Dear Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny,_

_I'd like you to read this all together if possible; you might take the news better... _

_Just after you left for Hogwarts, there was a break-in at Gringotts by a group of Death Eaters. A few goblins were killed, but no one else was harmed. The _Prophet_ kept it quiet out of a favor for Minister Bones, which is why you're just now learning about this._

_Percy was one of the Death Eaters on the scene. Sirius and Kingsley arrested him and questioned him, and he admitted to being a Death Eater, among other things. He was taken to Azkaban just before Halloween._

_Mum and Dad have been quite miserable lately, as you can imagine, and haven't been able to bring themselves to tell you. Dad and I talked, and we decided you deserve to know what's happening to our family._

_I'm sorry to break the news to you like this, but you need to know... And before Christmas. _

_There's one more thing you need to know about Percy, and this is something Dad didn't agree to my telling you. Again, you need to know this..._

_It's about what happened to Harry this summer. It was Percy who poisoned him—on You-Know-Who's orders, of course. Apparently, Sirius nearly killed Percy when he found out—Percy was lucky Charlie and I weren't there..._

_Speaking of Charlie..._

Harry skipped the rest of the letter—all it did was try to make the Weasleys feel better. "It was Percy?" he whispered disbelievingly.

"Seems so," Fred muttered. "I kind of liked the idea of it being Kreacher who poisoned you. No offense meant, of course, Harry."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, none taken," he said distractedly. The five of them sat in silence for probably an hour before Seamus, Dean, and Neville entered the room for bed. Fred, George, and Ginny muttered half-hearted good nights—George took the letter, folded it, and placed it in his robes—and left the room.

Harry and Ron silently changed into their pajamas and climbed into their beds. "How's Remus?" Ron asked hoarsely.

"Woke up tonight for a bit," Harry said quietly, trying to hold back his excitement.

He saw Ron smile weakly before Neville blew out his candle. "That's great, mate," he said quietly.

* * *

Kingsley stumbled up the stairs of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place and into the library. He practically collapsed onto the sofa where Tonks just happened to be lounged out reading a magazine.

The witch raised an eyebrow. "Long day, darling?" she muttered, not looking away from her magazine.

Kingsley lifted his head from her stomach. "Since when do you call me 'darling'?"

Tonks chuckled and shrugged. "I dunno, just seemed like a good moment."

"Right," he said slowly. "Well, to answer your question: everyday is a long day when your at Azkaban, _dear_," he added with a smile.

Tonks winced in sympathy. "There's no one else you can get to go out there?"

"Not really. Sirius is practically living at Hogwarts these days, and even if he wasn't, I wouldn't want to be the one to suggest he go to Azkaban."

Tonks nodded. "Nor would I. But isn't it better since the dementors have gone?"

Kingsley sighed. "For someone who wasn't stuck in Azkaban for five years, yes. But for Sirius, just the very mention of the place puts that dark look in his eyes."

"Could you imagine what it'd be like to be a prisoner there?" Tonks asked with a shudder.

"Do you really want to find out what it's like?" Kingsley asked darkly.

"No," she said. "And I wouldn't dare ask Sirius."

"Smart girl," he muttered, his voice muffled in Tonks' shirt.

Tonks raised an eyebrow. "Who you calling a girl?"

Kingsley lifted his head again and grinned. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "I thought that's what they called people with these soft feminine bits." He poked said bits to prove his point, winning a slap on his bald head.

They grinned at each other for a moment before Tonks asked, "Any update on Remus?"

"Dumbledore wrote about an hour ago and said he woke for about ten minutes, but passed out again," he replied. "I'm sure when we see Sirius again, we'll get a full report."

* * *

A lot of time had passed. There was really no way of telling how much, and he didn't really care to know. In fact, he didn't care about much. His brain worked, but he had no concept of memory. Hell, he had no concept of anything. He could physically feel things, of course, but pain was the most complicated thing he could comprehend.

His surroundings changed, he only recently realized. He wasn't sure what changed, though; everything was still dark and cold. They gave him food here, whoever _they_ were, just like at the other place, but it tasted the same. Everything tasted the same to him. Sometimes he felt different, but he wasn't sure what the difference was. It was like a voice inside him switched on, telling him to do things. He did, of course; he couldn't do anything to fight it even if he had the desire to do so.

Every so often, flashes of things flew before his eyes. But before he could even grasp the fact he was seeing things, the flashes were gone, and he was back in the darkness. Something did come to him one night, and he was able to keep a hold of it. It was only a large silver ball surrounded by black, but whatever it was, he didn't mind it too much; that was much better than those two balls of light—red light—that he saw once in a while. He didn't like _those_ lights, not one bit. They made his skin crawl, and he was forced to see them more often than he would like—he would prefer to see the silver ball again.

A door opened somewhere, and he vaguely heard a lazily muttered word before he was told to do things again. He would have to dwell on the white light another time.


	15. Fifteen

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Fifteen_

A week after he had awakened for the first time, Remus woke again, and this time he was able to keep consciousness for longer than ten minutes. At first, he was surprised to find Sirius asleep in a chair beside his bed; later he found out that the only reason Sirius had left the hospital wing since his arrival was to shower and eat, and even that was rare.

Remus, once Pomfrey was done forcing twelve different potions down his throat, was quite interested in how he had come to be at Hogwarts. The Beauxbatons Headmistress, Madame Maxime, had found him on the border of Spain as she was traveling to visit a cousin. He couldn't explain how he'd gotten to Spain; the last thing he clearly remembered was stumbling on the outskirts of Paris, hiding from Lucius Malfoy after the full moon.

He inquired almost immediately about what had been happening during his absence, and Sirius was very reluctant to answer. Remus merely raised an eyebrow, staring his best friend down, watching him shift uncomfortably in his chair, until he finally answered. By the time Sirius had finished about the night he and Emmeline disappeared, Remus had heard more than enough. But Sirius had gone on to tell him every detail of the last few months.

"Percy..." Remus said quietly, sitting up in his bed. "Percy Weasley?"

"You know another Percy?" Sirius asked flatly. "Anyway, Molly's crushed obviously. None of us can look her in the eye anymore, not after Kingsley and I took her baby boy to Azkaban."

Remus nodded, reaching over slowly, almost painfully, for his goblet of water. Sirius handed it to him. "Thanks," he said hoarsely, taking a sip. "You're positive he's a Death Eater? There can't have been a mistake?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Don't you think I, of all people at the Ministry, would be the one to make sure there's no doubt about something like that?"

Remus tried to smirk. "I suppose. He has the Mark, then?"

"According to Kingsley, yes, in all its blackened, skullish glory," Sirius said lightly.

Remus nodded. "And our young charge? How's Harry doing?"

Suddenly, Sirius looked more uncomfortable, and even sad, than he had before. "Good question," he said quietly, looking at the floor. "He's not telling me much these days, so I'm not quite sure."

"Do I even want to know?" Remus groaned. Whether he wanted to hear it or not, Sirius told him. Remus listened patiently as his friend told him about Harry's words to him on Halloween night following the Dementor attack in Hogsmeade. "And this has been bothering you for, what, two weeks?" Sirius nodded. "Well, then," Remus continued, "it's a good thing I'm back, isn't? Someone's got to knock some sense into you two idiots."

* * *

Emmeline visited later in the evening, and Sirius excused himself from the hospital wing, claiming he needed to speak with Hagrid. The witch told him Hagrid wasn't back from his mission with the giants yet. Sirius grinned, said he knew, and left.

"He's hopeless," Remus muttered as the hospital wing doors closed.

"Yes, well, this is a relief from the mood he's been in since I got back," Emmeline said, sitting beside Remus in a chair.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Meaning...?"

"Meaning he's been downright depressed. I don't know what he's told you, but we were convinced you were dead," she said quietly.

Remus watched her thoughtfully for a moment. "I told Sirius this once, and I suppose I should tell you, as well: you can't get rid of me that easily." He smiled softly.

"Too bad for me, then, eh?" She grinned.

He laughed quietly. "He said you were found using the two-way mirrors?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I couldn't figure them out at first—I suppose that was due to my panicking after you didn't return to the cave. Anyway, it worked out eventually..."

"Good," he said quietly. "I'm glad you got out of there relatively unharmed."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments before the question she'd wanted to know for months fell out of her mouth. "What happened to you, Remus?" she asked hesitantly.

He averted his eyes quickly, not yet ready to answer that question. He started to tell her this, but at that moment, Harry very conveniently walked into the hospital wing and over to Remus' bed. "Hey, Harry." Remus smiled. "Heard you've had a rough few months."

* * *

The Hogwarts grounds were full of life for a cold, November evening. Many of the students had come out after dinner for fresh air, to study, or just to socialize. The trees were bare of their leaves, even the Whomping Willow, which seemed to shiver in the cold breeze. It would start to snow within the next few days, and there was no sight more beautiful than Hogwarts with a foot of snow on the ground.

Sirius had always enjoyed going to sit by the lake after it snowed. It wasn't to think, as most people would do; rather, Sirius went there to forget. During his sixth year, he'd spent many late nights under the snow-covered beech tree, trying to force the memories of what his family had said to him before he'd run away out of his mind. His friends had known he went down there, but none of them asked him why.

The next year, seventh year, Julia had joined him on a freezing cold January night. She'd called him a moron for sitting in the snow with only his robes, and wrapped him in a thick Muggle coat. Before that night, Julia had remained firm in her beliefs that Sirius Black was nothing more than an arrogant, self-centered, pureblooded git.

He, of course, had fancied her for a few years, but for some reason he still couldn't explain, was never able to tell her until that night. Sirius had never had much trouble with girls in his day, but there was always something different about Julia. It was much like Lily and James' relationship before seventh year; Lily couldn't stand James, and James couldn't get enough of Lily. Sirius and James both showed off in front of their crushes, and always made fools of themselves.

But that night in January, Sirius and Julia talked. And for a change, he didn't act like the git she thought him to be. They talked late into the night, discussing her family—he avoided questions about his own—and about their aspirations for the future. She'd wanted to be a writer when she was younger. Her fascination with what she called "fantasy" started at a very young age, and she'd always had dreams of writing a book about witches and wizards and magical creatures. When she'd come to Hogwarts, she'd wanted to know every detail about how her new world worked. After graduation, she'd been accepted into the Department of Wizard/Muggle Relations. A few days before she was to receive a promotion, Voldemort murdered her and her family.

Sirius still had some of the things she'd written. Some were for or about him, and some were just for her own entertainment. She'd spent a lot of her time at his flat after graduation, and most of her things were probably still there; the Ministry hadn't confiscated his London home after his arrest, and he was sure it was still in his name. But in the ten years he'd been free of Azkaban, he hadn't been back there. Remus tried to convince him a few years ago to just go and check on the place, air it out a bit. There were a few things Sirius still wasn't ready for, and visiting his London flat was one of them.

Sirius walked around the lake three times as night fell around him. He sat under the old beech tree he'd frequented with his friends in their youth and stared out at the dark lake, watching the giant squid surface a few times. Now that Remus was awake, and seemingly all right, maybe things could start getting back to normal. Sirius' mind wasn't clouded with depression anymore. His best friend was alive and well. They wouldn't have to stay at Hogwarts much longer, and while Number Twelve probably wasn't the best place for one to recuperate, at least Remus could rest there.

"Out for a late night stroll, Black?" said a cold, sneering voice.

"Actually, I was looking for something the giant squid could eat. But you're a bit too greasy; you might give him heartburn," Sirius said smoothly without turning around.

"I hear your precious werewolf has found his way home just like a loyal dog should," Snape said coldly.

"I hear Draco Malfoy makes a decent ferret. Too bad McGonagall had to show up and change him back," Sirius replied just as coldly. "What do you want, Snivelly?"

"I've been asked to inform you that your presence is requested in the Headmaster's study."

"And the Headmaster thought you were the best to send? The old man really is going senile," Sirius said, pushing himself from the cold earth and starting towards the castle before Snape could reply.

* * *

Back in the hospital wing, Remus and Harry were enjoying a light snack, approved by Madam Pomfrey and brought up to them by the school's house-elves. Harry was telling Remus about the school year so far, and Lockhart's short stint as Potions professor.

"That must have been quite interesting," Remus said dryly, taking a bite of pudding. "Did he teach you how to become a lying fraud like himself?"

Harry grinned. "No, but he did teach me how to make a potion to make my hair lie flat."

Remus eyed Harry's mass of unruly black hair. "I see you haven't used it," he teased.

"Are you kidding? And have my hair burned off my head?"

Remus chuckled. "What about Occlumency? Have you been keeping up with it?"

Harry nodded taking a sip of his butterbeer. "Yes, Emmeline gave me a lesson last week."

"Good."

"Speaking of Emmeline…" Harry grinned. Remus glared slightly at him. "What?" Harry asked innocently.

"Don't start, Harry," Remus muttered.

Harry's grin widened. "Do you fancy her?"

Remus sighed. "And why would you think that's any of your business?" he asked without much conviction.

Harry ignored Remus' tone. "Sirius said you fancy her," he said as if that settled the matter.

"Yes, well, Sirius also says Acromantulas are harmless."

Harry shrugged and sat back in his chair, letting the subject of Emmeline to drop. For now.

Remus watched Harry pick through a box of Every Flavor Beans thoughtfully for a few moments. Perhaps tonight wasn't the best night to bring it up, but after his conversation with Sirius earlier in the day, he had to know something. "Are you happy, Harry?'

"Huh?" Harry said, looking up startled from the candy box.

"Are you happy?" Remus repeated clearly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"Perhaps I should be more specific. Are you happy living with Sirius and me?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Harry asked slowly, wondering if the painkilling potions Pomfrey was giving Remus was doing something to his head. "Oh," Harry said quietly in realization. "Sirius told you about Halloween, didn't he?"

Remus nodded. "He did," he said calmly. "And I just wanted to make sure you are happy with us. Let me explain something to you, Harry," he said before the teenager could interrupt. "There could be far worse fates for you than living with Sirius Black. I think I know better than anybody how frustrating he can be, but he's also the most loyal friend I've ever had, next to your father, of course.

"Now, I won't claim to know what you were thinking the night you told Sirius he wasn't your father, but I assure you that neither he nor I have ever _tried_ to be. James was our best friend, Harry, and we could never take his place. Why do you think we make such an effort to tell you everything we know about your parents? You didn't have the chance to know them as we did, and you should have.

"When we took you from your aunt and uncle's home, neither of us wanted to replace your parents. We wanted you to be safe and happy, and we thought we'd done a damn good job of it. We set very few rules for you, only enough to keep you out of harm's way—we'd be there when you really needed us, so why should we have to set more than that?

Remus sighed. "Harry, you mean more to us that you could ever know. Everything we've done, every decision we've made in our lives over the last ten years, has revolved around you, in your best interest. Sirius asked you not to leave Hogwarts grounds because he knows the dangers that are out there. It's no secret that Lord Voldemort wants you dead, Harry," he said bluntly. "You are a threat to him. The prophecy, as much as we all hate to refer to it, very clearly says that you can destroy him. The few people who know of the prophecy besides you—Sirius, Dumbledore, and myself—we have faith that you will. But you can't very well do that if you don't have a soul."

"You think I can really defeat him?" Harry asked quietly.

Remus nodded. "I know you can. You're an amazing wizard, Harry, better than Sirius and I had ever thought you could be, whether you see it yet or not. And by no means do I wish to see you grow up before your time, but you've got to take Voldemort's threat seriously. You shouldn't fear Voldemort, but you should respect his power. What we've seen so far in this war..." Remus laughed darkly. "It's only just begun, my boy.

"But before you can face Voldemort, and you will have to face him at some point, you need to realize who is on your side, who is fighting with and for you. Sirius is very proud, Harry. He's very confident in himself—that can be both a blessing and a curse to him. He's very strong, very capable, very smart, and he knows it. There are very few people in this world who Sirius will lay everything down for. When it comes to you... Well, let's just say Sirius would do anything for you. He would die for you in a second, as would I. When it comes to you, Harry, Sirius takes things very much to heart.

"What you said to him... That hurt him more deeply than a Cruciatus curse could ever manage. In fact, I'm willing to bet he'd have taken any form of torture over what you said to him."

Harry looked down at his shoes. "What can I do?" he whispered hoarsely.

"Talk to him," Remus said simply. "He needs to be reassured of things. He may not come right out and say it—it's my experience that he won't—but he needs to know you don't hate him—"

"I don't hate him!" Harry loudly.

Remus held out a hand to quiet him. "I know that and you know that. As I've said, Sirius _needs _to know. Maybe not those exact words, but I'm confident you get my meaning." Harry nodded pensively. Remus sighed tiredly. "It's late. You should get some rest, and I need to get some myself before Poppy tries to give me more potions... Talk to him, Harry, as soon as you get the chance."

"I will," Harry said.

"Promise me."

"I promise."

Remus smiled softly. "All right, then. Come back in the morning and see me. I have missed you."

Harry smiled. "We've missed you, too."

"You know, I never got a hug from you. Sirius nearly broke my ribs again this morning," Remus said with a wince.

"I wasn't sure if it would hurt you or not," Harry admitted sheepishly.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Get over here."

Harry grinned as he stood and awkwardly wrapped his arms around his surrogate godfather. They held each other for a few moments before Remus pushed Harry out to arm's length. "You've grown," he said fondly, ruffling Harry's hair. "Now, off to bed with you. Good night, Harry."

"Night, Remus," Harry responded, pulling away and starting out of the hospital wing.

"Oh, and Harry!" Remus called, his voice growing hoarse. Harry turned around. "To answer your question about Emmeline... perhaps a little."

Harry grinned and left.

Remus shook his head and got comfortable in his bed, ready for long hours of sleep.

* * *

A week and a half later, Dumbledore convinced the school nurse that it was time Remus returned home. He'd made incredible progress in recovering from most of his injuries; his right leg still pained him horribly at times, and he would need to use a walking stick until the leg was strong enough to support his weight.

On the morning that Sirius was to take Remus back to Number Twelve, Madam Pomfrey spent two hours going over potions Remus would need to take in the coming months. She wrote out a very detailed schedule on when and how Remus would have to take them; some of them had to be mixed into certain foods while others had to be taken in the middle of the night.

Sirius assured her that he would take very good care of the patient, and that he would be just fine. Besides, with Molly Weasley and Emmeline Vance around, Remus wouldn't need to lift a finger. Emmeline very kindly brought Remus clean clothes to change into before leaving Hogwarts, and Harry helped him dress—Remus was still quite weak and stiff and had trouble bending in certain angles.

"All right," Sirius called, coming out of Pomfrey's office. "We ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Remus said flatly. Emmeline helped him stand from his bed, handing him his walking stick. "How are we getting there?"

"Well," Emmeline began, "at first, we thought about Apparition, but we weren't sure if you'd be up to it. Then we thought about Floo until Sirius pointed out how much you hate that. We settled on a portkey. Sirius and I will be on either side of you in case you fall when we land."

Remus rolled his eyes, his lips twitching. "Do you really think me that inept that I can't keep my balance after using a portkey?"

"Remus, I had to help you eat breakfast this morning. Harry had to help you get dressed. So yes, we do think you that inept," Sirius said lightly with a grin.

"Sod off, Padfoot," Remus muttered.

Before Dumbledore arrived with their portkey, Harry said goodbye to Remus, obviously not wanting to let the wizard out of his sights anymore than Sirius did. It would only be a month before the Christmas holidays, but Harry was making it out to be years before he'd see Remus again. Emmeline had to promise that they would take good care of Remus before Harry would leave for his morning classes.

There was an awkward moment as Harry started to leave. Sirius told Harry he'd see him later, and moved away quickly to help Emmeline with Remus. Harry had obviously wanted to say more than "see you" to his godfather, but couldn't seem to find the right words. Remus gave the boy a very pointed look, reminding him of their conversation ten days before. Harry only nodded, mouthed _'I will_', and left the hospital wing.

Sirius sat on Remus' bed looking over the different bottles of potions, but Remus was sure his mind wasn't on medications. Emmeline tried to lighten the mood by telling Remus that Molly was planning a large feast that night to welcome him back. Molly hadn't cooked much in the last months, and her mood had improved greatly upon hearing that Remus was returning.

Dumbledore entered soon after with a flattened Quaffle that would be used as the portkey. The Headmaster had only visited Remus twice since his return to Hogwarts and both times were only for short periods. "It is good to see you up and about, my dear boy," he said quietly, his eyes twinkling merrily. "I look forward to seeing you back to full strength again."

"Thank you, sir." Remus smiled.

Sirius bit his lip to avoid asking Dumbledore if he was planning to send Remus on another mission. Perhaps this time Remus would be killed. He resisted, however, not allowing his less than happy feelings towards the Headmaster to ruin the morning. He still believed it was Dumbledore's fault that Remus was in this situation.

"I will see all of you soon, I suppose," Dumbledore said, handing Sirius the portkey.

Emmeline and Sirius stood, the knapsack of potions Pomfrey packed for Remus over Sirius' shoulder, Remus' walking stick in Emmeline's hand. The three of them touched the portkey, Sirius and Emmeline placing their free hands firmly around Remus' upper arm, and waited for the portkey to activate.

Less than a minute later, they were pulled by their navels into the familiar swirl of colors. They hit the stone ground of the basement kitchen of Number Twelve, and Remus stumbled into Emmeline. Sirius caught them both before they tumbled to the ground.

"Quite inept, I would say," Sirius teased.

"Sod off," Remus said again. "Can I sit, please? I think I may be a bit sick."

Emmeline moved over and pulled out a chair for Remus while Sirius helped him across the kitchen. Above them, there was a crash, a muttered curse that could only have belonged to Tonks, and the immediate shrieks of Sirius' mother.

"Welcome home, Moony," Sirius said dryly.


	16. Sixteen

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Sixteen_

Over the next few days, though he was more than thrilled to see his friends again, Remus began to grow weary of being a patient. Molly was in her element, fussing endlessly over him. She wouldn't allow anybody to sit with him longer than an hour—he needed his rest. The only exceptions to her rule were Sirius and Emmeline.

As promised, Molly had made quite the feast upon Remus' return to Order Headquarters. He was much too thin, in everyone's opinion, even after the food Madam Pomfrey had forced him to eat during his stay at Hogwarts, and he would need all the strength he could get for the coming full moon.

Sirius started doing his work out of Number Twelve when, on the first day he'd returned to the Ministry in two weeks, he accidentally set fire to one of the cubicles in Auror Headquarters. Madam Bones later found out that he'd been worried about getting back to Number Twelve to check on Remus, and suggested he take a temporary leave of absence. Kingsley was in charge of the department until Sirius returned.

Emmeline, who'd moved into Number Twelve after her own return from France, spent most of her free time with Remus. Since he was forced to stay in bed while he recovered, she'd gone to Diagon Alley and bought a stack of books that stood as high as his bedside table to keep him occupied. He'd insisted she hadn't had to go through the trouble, or spend so much gold on him, as he looked through the stack.

"Consider it two years worth of future Christmas and birthday presents," she'd said with a smile.

Remus still wouldn't say what had happened to him in France. Sirius ceased asking him after a few days; Remus would talk about it when he was ready. There were nights, however, when Remus would wake, screaming and sweating profusely, as if he was being tortured. Sirius and Emmeline were both on the same landing as the patient—Molly and Arthur had taken up residence on the third landing—and rushed into wake and calm him as best they could. Every time he had one of these episodes, Remus would laugh it off, insisting it was only a nightmare, but that he couldn't remember any details. Neither Sirius nor Emmeline believed him, but they didn't press the subject. Instead, they both sat with him until he went back to sleep, and on most nights, went back to their own bedrooms.

One night, Remus experienced a rather horrible "nightmare," and had been brought to heavy sobs and tears. Sirius had gone to the Ministry to pick up some reports, so only Emmeline had been around to comfort him. She'd sat with Remus all night until his tears subsided, and they fell asleep in each other's arms. Molly found them together the next morning when she'd come to check on Remus. She'd smiled softly at the scene and gone down to make them breakfast.

Remus woke that same morning when he felt something odd. There was something warm lying beneath his head, something very comfortable. He opened his eyes and slowly realized he was practically lying on top of somebody. He raised an eyebrow, noticing the person he was using as a pillow was a woman, and blushed deeply when he laid eyes on Emmeline's face.

_Oh hell,_ he groaned inwardly. _How did this happen?_ Then he remembered her comforting him the night before, and him falling asleep on her chest. _Nice one, Lupin. Could you embarrass yourself in front of a beautiful witch any more?_

He tried to pull away from her (his right arm had fallen asleep under her) without waking her. He put his left hand on her other side while he tried to pull his other out from under her. He winced when she shifted, and her eyes fluttered open. They looked at one another for long moments, both wide-eyed and at a loss for words.

"Morning," Remus finally said quietly.

She chuckled. "Morning," she said softly. "Feeling better?"

Remus winced inwardly. "Ah, yes, thank you. Sorry about last night," he added sheepishly.

"No worries."

He nodded. "Er, did you sleep all right?" he asked awkwardly.

"Quite well, actually," she admitted sleepily, blushing and looking away.

Remus smiled. "Me too," he said, looking around the room. "Er, perhaps we should go down for breakfast... If Sirius finds us like this, neither of us will ever live it down."

She laughed, causing Remus' stomach to do a bit of a somersault. "That's probably true. But just so you know, I'm not afraid of the big bad Auror."

"Well, neither am I, but I don't know how long I'll be able to handle him this week."

"Don't worry about him... Anyway, breakfast. You stay here, and I'll bring some up."

"You don't have to—"

She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I don't mind. I'll be back soon." Remus extricated his arm from under her, and she stood from the bed, wrapping a robe around her body before leaving the room.

* * *

Sirius and Kingsley were in the Black library looking over the most recent deaths at the hands of Lord Voldemort. The night before, an entire Muggle village on the western coast had been slaughtered. Obliviators were sent along with the Aurors to wipe the minds of the surrounding towns. The green skull that floated high above the village wasn't an easy thing to make people forget.

"Hey, boss," Kingsley said quietly, his brow furrowed. "Have you seen this?" He passed a piece of parchment across the table he and Sirius were working at.

Sirius sighed and scanned the report, his eyebrows rising higher as he reached the bottom. A woman and her nephew had been attacked by Death Eaters three nights previous. One of the woman's pet pit bulls had nearly torn off the leg of one of the attackers, but neither the woman nor the boy had survived the attack. Marjorie and Dudley Dursley were their names.

"Well," Sirius said quietly and flatly, setting the parchment on the table. "I suppose it's official: Harry Potter no longer has any living blood relatives."

* * *

The first Gryffindor Quidditch game of the season had just ended. Gryffindor had slaughtered Slytherin 250-90, with Ron Weasley as their new Keeper. Harry had always known his best friend was a decent Quidditch player, but was surprised at how well he'd played against Slytherin. It was one thing to play against friends and family, but quite different playing against a team who didn't mind putting their opponents in the hospital wing for a few weeks.

Draco Malfoy, still quite bitter over the incident with Mad-Eye, sang a rather crude song with lyrics about Harry and his guardians. The song suggested Sirius and Remus were more than friends, and that Harry was their love-child. Before Harry could curse Malfoy very painfully, Hermione looked over Malfoy's shoulder and greeted Mad-Eye. Malfoy jumped a foot in the air, his pale complexion matching his silver-blond hair, and spun around. Mad-Eye, of course, was nowhere near them. Malfoy sneered, called Hermione a Mudblood, and stomped off. Ron tried to go after him, but Fred and George held him back.

"We'll take care of the twitchy little ferret," they said mysteriously.

* * *

Sirius, Remus, and Emmeline were all in Remus' room doing various things. Sirius read over Ministry reports, or pretended to do so while he ignored Remus' teasing about him becoming a responsible, functioning member of wizarding society. Emmeline and Remus were lounged quite comfortably (and closely, Sirius thought) on the bed doing a crossword puzzle together.

There would be an Order meeting that night to discuss the war and to welcome Remus back to their ranks. Sirius had very conveniently neglected to tell Remus that Naomi had a new role in the war. He thought Remus would take it better in a room full of people, rather than just Sirius and Remus alone somewhere where no one could hear Sirius' screams of pain after Remus attacked him.

In hindsight, he thought it would have been better to give Remus some fair warning—seeing his ex-fiancée, whom he believed to be loyal to Voldemort, in the kitchen of Order Headquarters would not be the easiest thing for him to take. But Emmeline had spent the entire day with him, and he seemed content with life for the first time since his return; Sirius couldn't bring himself to ruin that.

They made a cute couple, Remus and Emmeline, even though they weren't actually dating (Sirius gave them two months tops to fix _that_ little detail). Remus deserved to be happy with someone. Sirius loved his best friend and was very protective of him, and he didn't want to see Remus have his heart broken the way Naomi had done. He was confident that if Remus and Emmeline got together, they could be happy with one another, even in a war.

"Is that a record player?" Emmeline asked, looking around Remus' room.

Remus followed her line of sight and smiled. "Ah, yeah, it is. It belonged to my mother, but it hasn't worked for years."

"Do you mind if I have a look at it?" she asked in an excited tone that reminded Sirius of Arthur Weasley.

Remus shrugged. "No, not at all."

Emmeline smiled, got off the bed, moved across the room, and sat against the wall beside the record player. She ran her finger across the bar with the needle and frowned in thought. Sirius and Remus exchanged a curious glance when she took out her wand and tapped it on the machine, muttering something incoherent.

Remus started to say he'd already tried using magic on it, but stopped. She'd placed one of the old records he had in a box onto the record player and moved the needle over it. Remus' jaw dropped as it crackled and began to play.

"How did you do that?" Remus asked in awe, throwing his blankets to his feet and standing from the bed with Sirius' help.

"Magic." She grinned.

Sirius laughed while Remus raised an eyebrow. "I know that, but what spell?"

Emmeline stood and wiped dust from her jeans. "Ah, if I told you that, Mister Lupin, I'd have to kill you," she said mysteriously. "Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I'm going to get ready for the meeting."

Remus continued to watch her leave the room, a rather dopey expression on his face, before Sirius slapped him lightly on the back. "Come on, Moony. Got to make you look all pretty for the meeting too."

* * *

Two hours later, down in the basement kitchen, the Order of the Phoenix had assembled around the large wooden table where Molly had spread out drinks and appetizers while they waited for the meeting to begin. It took a bit of time for Remus to get down the stairs; he couldn't do it under his own power—he needed Sirius' help. His knee gave him trouble as he descended, so he had to stop every few steps to wait for the pain to subside a bit.

He was relieved to finally reach the kitchen; it was only the second time he'd been there since his return to Order Headquarters. Those who had already arrived clapped and cheered when he stepped off the last stair, welcoming him back. Remus smiled at them and said his hellos, accepting hugs, and shaking hands as Sirius helped him to a chair, very predictably, beside Emmeline. Remus found he didn't mind too much.

"Here you are, Remus dear," Molly said cheerfully, placing a plate of food before him. "Have you taken your potions?"

"Yes, Molly," Remus answered patiently. "Thank you very much, this all looks wonderful." Molly beamed, gave him and Emmeline a wink, and walked to the other side of the table with Arthur and Bill. "What was that all about?" Remus muttered to Emmeline.

Emmeline's lips twitched. "I, er, think she may have walked in on us this morning."

Remus blushed slightly at the thought of how that statement could be taken. "I wouldn't say that too loud if I were you; we'll be the gossip of the Order for months to come." Emmeline only grinned and helped herself to Remus' pile of hot chips. "You know, Miss Vance," he said sternly, "not many people can get away with stealing food from a werewolf. Sirius doesn't even get away with it."

"I'll take my chances," she replied slyly. Before he could reply, she stood and went to greet Tonks.

Remus was only able to stare at her with raised eyebrows for a few moments before Sirius and Kingsley sat beside him. Remus thanked Kingsley profusely for taking care of his best friend during his absence. Kingsley, naturally, waved him off, but Remus pointed out that Sirius could barely make breakfast, let alone take care of himself. Sirius only rolled his eyes and allowed his friends to insult him. He'd get them back…

* * *

In the chaos of the Order arriving and extending their various greetings, Remus failed to notice the witch who entered with Dumbledore. The Headmaster stood at the end of the table, his eyes twinkling brightly at the sight before him. Sirius' face was full of cheer as he and Remus teased one another as if nothing had ever happened. Remus was still looking quite ill, but Dumbledore knew he would fully recover with time.

* * *

Emmeline came to sit beside Remus on his left. They smiled at each other until Remus' eyes traveled past her. His cheerful mood faded immediately as he watched _her_ stare calmly back at him. If he'd had a wand—he really needed to get a replacement—he would have pointed it at her.

"What is she doing here?" he said in a carefully controlled voice not looking away from Naomi. He could almost see Sirius wince behind him. "Padfoot," he said, his voice dripping in sarcasm, "did you forget to tell me something?"

"Remus, there's a very good explanation—" Sirius began as the rest of the Order quieted and turned to watch Remus' reaction.

Remus very slowly turned and glared at his best friend. "Well, then, you won't mind telling me what that explanation is, now will you?"

"Naomi has been working for the Order," Dumbledore interjected quietly. "She has been passing along information from Lord Voldemort's ranks for two months now."

Remus sighed and shook his head. Chuckling humorlessly, he looked around the table, his eyes settling on Naomi's. "You're all mental..." he said quietly. He put all his weight on his walking stick and pushed himself from his chair, attempting to stand. "I'm suddenly feeling a bit ill. I think I'll go have a lie down if you all don't mind," he added flatly. "Excuse me."

"Remus..." Sirius started. Remus ignored him as he slowly made his way up the stairs. Emmeline made to follow him, but Sirius shook his head. "You're not going to want to see this," he muttered, going after his friend. He wrapped an arm around Remus' waist and ignored the other wizard's attempts to push him away.

Once they disappeared up the stairs, Kingsley turned to Dumbledore. "Well, he handled that better than I'd expected," he said lightly.

* * *

Despite Sirius' attempts, Remus didn't stop to rest his knee until they reached his room. He didn't say a word to his best friend until the door was closed—no one else needed to hear this. "Explain," he said almost coldly once he was on his bed.

"Moony..." Sirius said. Remus gazed calmly at him, his eyes blazing. Sirius sighed and began to explain the events leading up to Naomi becoming a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. Not once did Remus interrupt Sirius; he was enjoying Sirius' struggle to avoid his eye. He'd only been back for two weeks and Sirius had already made him angrier than he had in many years.

A tense silence filled the room when Sirius finished speaking. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" Remus asked quietly, a hint of hurt evident in his tone. "And don't give me the 'you're recovering and I didn't want to upset you' rubbish, either."

"I'm sorry," Sirius said quietly and sincerely. "There's just... there's been so much going on in the past months... I mean, I could barely handle it when it happened, and for you to hear it all at once after whatever the hell it was that you went through... I'm sorry, Moony."

Remus nodded. "You know, you really are," he said flatly, his lips twitching. "Can I just ask you one thing? What changed your mind about Naomi? Did you not tell me just a few months back that she wasn't to be trusted, that she'd betrayed us... that she was—what were your words... 'a fucking Death Eater?'"

Sirius raised a shocked eyebrow. "Such language, Moony," he muttered, earning a glare. He sighed. "I don't know, to be honest. I suppose after you'd been taken or lost or whatever, and Harry almost died... Everything changed, Remus. It's a weak excuse, I know, but it's true. I would've done anything to just have everything back to normal. If that was to include trusting someone who betrayed us, then so be it. I mean, hell, I trusted Snape to save Harry's life…"

"That still blows my mind…"

Sirius grinned slightly. "Mine too... Anyway, when Naomi showed up at the Ministry—that alone took a lot of balls, if you ask me—and she said she knew things... well, I thought she might be able to lead us to you..."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "And you came up with all that excuse all by yourself? I'm so proud, Padfoot."

Sirius narrowed his eyes and fingered the wand in his back pocket. "You know, you're very lucky you're still recovering, Moony."

"Why is that?" Remus asked, his lips twitching again.

"Because otherwise I'd be forced to bombard you with pillows until you cried for mercy, my dear old friend."

They grinned at one another for a moment. "In that case, apology accepted, Padfoot."

"Very wise of you."

There was a knock on the bedroom door. Sirius answered, after exchanging another grin with Remus. He opened the door further and Emmeline and Tonks entered. "Dumbledore sent us to make sure Remus hadn't murdered you, Sirius," Tonks said conversationally.

"You've foiled all my plans, ladies," Remus said, shaking his head in mock-disappointment.

"Is the meeting over?" Sirius asked.

Emmeline nodded. "Yeah, pretty much everyone's left."

"Kingsley wanted to speak with you before we leave, though," Tonks explained to Sirius.

"All right, I'll be back, then," Sirius said to Emmeline and Remus as Tonks led the way out of the room. "You two kids play nice," he added with a grin before closing the door behind him.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy sat on the steel bed of his quarters, rereading a letter by wand light. His son, Draco, the heir of the Malfoy family, had been having some trouble at Hogwarts with the paranoid ex-Auror, Moody. Lucius wrote back, assuring his son that his problems would be taken care of in good time. The Dark Lord would be recruiting soon and Draco would finally take his place beside his father.

The Malfoy name had been completely destroyed by Dumbledore and the other Mudblood-loving fools. Narcissa could rarely go out into public these days without enduring whispers and pointing from the lowly wizarding folk. There'd once been a time when the name Malfoy demanded respect. The Malfoys were once the greatest of all pureblood families, along with the Blacks. That was, of course, until Sirius Black first showed his true colors, and his loyalties wavered far away form his family's beliefs.

After Black had saved his precious godson from the Dark Lord's grasp nine years ago, Lucius had taken his master deep into hiding. It had not been the easiest eight years Lucius had ever spent. He'd used his days keeping his master alive with venom of the snake that he called a pet, Nagini. Nights had been spent traveling, finding deeper, darker spots to hide in.

The ingredients needed to bring the Dark Lord back to full power had not been easy to locate. Unicorn blood... hair of a griffin... bone of a sphinx... Lucius' injuries had been numerous. Then there had been the preparation of the potion. That alone had taken the better part of three years.

For some time, Lucius had worried for his master's health. The body the Dark Lord had been reduced to—the disgusting, blackened, scaly form—had been failing, and there'd been a chance he would not survive for much longer in the cold, harsh elements of their hiding place. Lucius had succeeded, however, in finishing the potion and was able to bring his master back.

He'd been duly rewarded, as is the Dark Lord's way with his most faithful, and stood beside his master through the war. Naomi Watts had been named third-in-command of the Death Eaters not long after. The woman was highly skilled in strategy of war—even Lucius had to admit it. Not to mention she wasn't that bad to look at...

He recalled she'd once been engaged to the werewolf, Remus Lupin. That had caused Lucius to question his master's trust in her. Lucius did not believe in love, though many of the less educated of his kind wore it freely on their sleeves. Watts and Lupin had been that type of couple. If they're "love" was so deep, then why had she betrayed Lupin? And who's to say she wouldn't betray the Dark Lord as well?

But, as is usually the case, his master did not agree with Lucius' point of view. He believed Watts to be as loyal as Lucius; therefore, Lucius was forced to trust her.

No, it was not the easiest job, being the Dark Lord's second-in-command, but Lucius Malfoy had never been the type of man to give up.


	17. Seventeen

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Seventeen_

Three days before Christmas, the Hogwarts Express came to a halt beside Platform 9 ¾. The students onboard the train raced to get off and greet their families, more than happy to escape the school for a few weeks. Fred and George cheerfully led the way off the train to meet their parents. Harry was at the back of his group of friends, and automatically began searching for any traces of Sirius or Remus. The last letter he'd received for his guardians—well, from Remus, since Sirius and Harry still weren't exactly on speaking terms—said that he, Remus, was doing much better in his recovery. There were still times when he would need to rest after going up or down many staircases, but they were becoming less frequent occurrences. He still needed to use his walking stick—his right leg still gave him trouble—but he no longer required Sirius' help to get anywhere.

As far as Harry could see though, neither of his guardians was in the sea of parents waiting to collect their children. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were smiling happily as their children, Harry, and Hermione approached. The Grangers, Mrs. Weasley told the young Muggleborn witch, were waiting for her just outside the barrier. Hermione wouldn't be joining her friends for Christmas, but promised to visit before holidays were over.

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry said as Hermione went through the barrier to the Muggle world. "Where's Sirius?"

"Oh, he was a bit busy today, dear. Remus, Emmeline, and he were decorating for Christmas before we left," Mrs. Weasley said distractedly as she rounded up her family. "FRED AND GEORGE! What have I told you about levitating your trunks with your sister on them?"

Harry felt his heart sink somewhere past his stomach. One of his guardians—most times both—was always there to greet him when he got off the train. He understood that Remus probably wasn't up to it, but Sirius could've come... Of course, Sirius was probably still upset with him over Halloween—Harry still hadn't spoken with his godfather as he'd promised Remus he would. Well, now Sirius and Harry would be in the same place for two weeks, and there was no way Remus would allow them to avoid one another... especially not at Christmas...

* * *

Sirius, Remus, Emmeline, and Tonks were taking a break from decorating to have some of the cake Molly had made earlier in the day.

"So, Tonks, what are you doing for Christmas?" Emmeline asked. Sirius tried to hide his excitement and amusement at how, with every day that passed, Emmeline and Remus sat closer to one another.

Tonks blushed a bit. "I'm taking Kingsley to meet Mum and Dad. They've been bugging me about it for months, and if I wait any longer, they'll probably show up in Auror Headquarters looking for us."

Sirius grinned. "That'd work just fine for me. Then I can give them all the dirt on Kingsley."

"You'd actually do that to a friend?" Emmeline asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Absolutely!" Sirius said promptly. "I'd do it to Moony in a heartbeat... And I've got a lot on old Remus, Emmeline," he added with a wink.

"You are by far the biggest prat in the world," Remus said flatly, taking a small bite of his cake.

"Probably, but you love me." Sirius grinned.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "That's debatable."

"I'd be highly offended if I didn't know you've been on painkilling potions for a month, Remus," Sirius said thickly through his cake. "What about you, Vance?" he added after swallowing said piece of cake. Remus wondered if he'd even chewed it. "What're your plans for the holiday?" Sirius noticed that Remus quickly became interested in his socks.

"Oh, I'm probably just going to go back home for a few days," Emmeline said dismissively.

"Visiting family?" Tonks asked.

Emmeline shook her head. "No, my parents died years ago. I've got brothers, but they both moved to America to raise families after the first war."

"So who are you spending your holiday with?" Sirius asked, ignoring the glare Remus was sending him.

Emmeline shrugged. "No one really. Just thought you guys could use some time with Harry without the whole world interfering."

"You can't spend Christmas alone!" Sirius exclaimed. "Stay here!"

"I don't want to impose—" Emmeline began.

"Nobody's imposing!" Sirius insisted. "Right, Remus?"

"Right, Sirius," Remus said, still glaring at his best friend.

"Well, I—" Emmeline tried again.

"No excuses," Sirius said firmly. "You're staying."

Before Emmeline could open her mouth to speak again, the front door opened. The Weasleys and Harry tried to enter quietly, and they would have succeeded if Fred hadn't tried to close the door with a wave of his wand. The result was every painting in the entranceway waking and screaming along with Mrs. Black.

"Can't say I've missed that," Remus said dryly as Sirius and Tonks ran to stun the portraits.

Emmeline grinned. "I think it adds personality to this old place."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever been called a flea-ridden mutt by a portrait older than your great-great grandfather?"

"Yes," she replied with certainty. "Fourth year at Hogwarts. My friend and I were using each other for transfiguration practice."

Remus could only shake his head before Harry and his friends came into the room to say hello.

The rest of the night was spent getting the kids settled back into Number Twelve. Molly prepared a large dinner for all those present, and Kingsley seemed to be attracted to the house by the scent of the food—or maybe it was Tonks' fluorescent pink hair acting as a beacon.

Sirius and Harry exchanged small talk, but it was more than obvious that things were still very awkward between them. Remus thought they both needed to be slapped. Hard. As much as he loved his family, and he loved them very much, he didn't know how much more of Sirius' moping about Harry he could take before he snapped. Emmeline told him Sirius' mood wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before Remus' return, but he still didn't like it.

He'd gotten somewhat used to the idea of having his ex-fiancée spying for the Order. She'd only been to one other meeting since that other night. Sirius said she was afraid to face Remus. Remus said she had plenty of reason to be. While Remus Lupin was normally a very forgiving wizard, Naomi was the exception. She'd betrayed her friends, and Remus still didn't know why—being afraid of Voldemort just wasn't a good enough excuse.

For the past few weeks, Sirius had started to become quite annoying. When he wasn't being depressed over Harry, he was very obviously trying to play matchmaker between Remus and Emmeline. Remus thought very highly of the witch—he'd even go as far as to say he fancied her and wouldn't mind starting a relationship with her. His complaint was that Sirius was trying too hard. Remus had only been back a month—he was still trying to adjust to being around friends again. While it was true that Remus and Emmeline were becoming quite close... Well, Remus was quickly running out of believable excuses as to why nothing could happen between them.

Remus looked around the table where his friends and family were enjoying their dessert. He'd never thought he'd see any of them alive again. There'd been days in France when he'd just wanted to put himself out of his misery and give up. It might be too corny to admit aloud, but when those thoughts crossed his mind, he'd thought of Sirius and Harry, and felt new energy fill his veins. His family kept him alive, even after all he'd been through. Most people, those with more sense than he, would have just turned themselves in and hoped for the best. But having Sirius Black as one's best friend and brother had odd effects on one's sense of rebellion.

Remus began to fade not long after Fred and George demonstrated to Sirius the uses of some fake wands they'd made. The werewolf felt a familiar—and not entirely unwelcome—sense of foreboding at his best friend's eagerness to see what else the twins had created.

"Harry," he said quietly to the boy beside him. Harry turned his head. "Care to help an old man upstairs?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're not old, Moony," he said, handing Remus his walking stick.

Remus said good night to Emmeline and those who weren't preoccupied with Fred and George and let Harry help him up the stairs.

* * *

Later that night, Remus was reading one of the books Emmeline bought him, _Defending Yourself Against Yourself: Techniques for the Modern Werewolf_ (he could only imagine the looks she'd received buying _that_ book). There was a familiar knock on his door and he called the person inside. Sirius entered without hesitation and flopped down on the bed beside Remus.

"Evening, Moony," he said cheerfully.

"Hello, Padfoot. Are you quite comfortable?"

"Quite, thank you."

Remus chuckled. The two friends fell into a comfortable silence only the best of friends could really manage, while Remus continued his reading. He could feel Sirius staring at him, but tried to block it out. He knew what his best friend wanted, but _he_ wanted to put it off for as long as possible. Avoiding Sirius Black, though, wasn't the easiest thing to accomplish. In fact, even after all the time Remus had spent ignoring Sirius, he still couldn't manage it for very long.

"Remus," Sirius said, any trace of the normal humor in his voice gone.

Remus sighed heavily and closed his book, placing it beside him on the mattress. "What do you want to know?" he asked, his voice suddenly hoarse, as he stared at his hands.

"What happened out there?" Sirius asked bluntly.

Remus smiled humorlessly. "Bit of a loaded question, don't you think?" he asked rhetorically. "You remember what you saw in the pensieve, right? Well, after I left the cave, I got turned around. I suppose it was a side effect from Malfoy's spell. Anyway, I got myself lost in the forest and I had no way of telling where I was. I didn't have a wand, as you very well know. Didn't have any food and I couldn't find water. I just wanted to get back to Emmeline in case the Death Eaters came back to find us.

"Night fell, and I still had no idea where I was. I took cover under some trees—it started raining pretty heavily—and ended up falling asleep. Neither Emmeline nor I was strong enough for Apparition after Malfoy's spell. I was still having trouble breathing, but it wasn't as bad as before. The next time I woke—I don't know what day it was—I was somewhere else. When I'd closed my eyes, I'd been surrounded by trees; when I opened my eyes, I was in a clearing. No idea how I'd gotten there, either. I heard voices, though. Didn't know if they were good or bad at the time, but I ran for cover, anyway. It was Malfoy and Nott. They had a bit of a shock when they realized I was gone..."

"If they'd found you in the first place, why didn't they kill you?" Sirius asked quietly, obviously not wanting to think along those lines, but needing to know.

"I'm getting there," Remus replied patiently. "They started talking about Voldemort, and how upset he was going to be when he found out I was gone. They were discussing some of the werewolves I'd spoken with last year. Malfoy said something to the effect of 'they won't agree without Lupin.' I didn't know what they were talking about, but I was sure it wouldn't be good. They mentioned the Albanian colonies specifically. I believe this was before they were slaughtered.

"I decided it was time to get away before anyone caught me again. That time I was lucky..." he said darkly. "Some time passed. Could've been hours, days, weeks, I don't know. But the Death Eaters caught up with me again. I was defenseless without a wand. One of them, instead of just stunning me, tackled me for some unknown reason. He was a small wizard, so I threw him off my back and was able to steal his wand. I couldn't do much with it; it wasn't very powerful—only the most basic spells would work, or I'd have been back ages ago. It was enough, though; I had some defense and light when I needed it. Though I still wasn't strong enough to Apparate, I was trying to get near enough to a wizard dwelling as I could without getting caught. I was able to get away from the Death Eaters—stunned a few, hexed a few others—and just ran.

"The full moon was coming quickly, and I knew I'd be no match for them before or afterwards—I didn't have my potion. I found a cave to transform in. It was deep enough so I could hide and they wouldn't be able to hear me, and I could rest for a few days after the moon waned. I was in pretty bad shape the day after the full moon—the wolf didn't understand where that damned black dog was—" Sirius laughed weakly. "I was bleeding everywhere. I had a few broken ribs... Patched myself up as best I could and went on my merry way."

"Why didn't you try the communication spell with the wand you had?"

"I did, but as I said, only the most basic spells worked for me; it wasn't my wand. And the communication spell isn't exactly simple..." Remus sighed. "Anyway, fast forwarding a bit... finally found some food and water, so I was able keep up some of my strength. It obviously hadn't been enough; I was ambushed two days after the full moon. Knocked out, gagged, tied to a tree somewhere... When I came to, I thought I was dead, Sirius. I don't ever remember feeling that horrible.

"Malfoy seemed to be the organizer of the little campout. The others shot _Avada Kedavra_ past me countless times, just to mock the fact that I was helpless and about to die. _Crucio_ was their favorite, of course, as it always is with Death Eaters. And when I was too weak to react anymore, they used Imperius to get me to react, and well, mainly for their entertainment. I think they had me doing a tap dance at one point.

"I have no idea how long I was there. Had to be at least a month... They thought I was near death, given up on ever getting out alive. So they started telling me horrible things they knew would make me _want_ to die. They told me first that Emmeline had been captured, and that on the next full moon I would see her one last time—I think they believed she and I were more than just Order members on a mission. They said that you, Sirius, lost your mind back at home, went on a drinking binge—I hear that part is true, but that's for another day's discussion—and then killed Harry and yourself. I wasn't in any fit state to try and deny it. My mind just accepted it as fact. There were other things they said—Voldemort will destroy the Mudbloods and their supporters, things like that, but I'd stopped caring.

"I formed a plan in the rare moments I could think semi-coherently. When the full moon came, and if Emmeline really was there, I'd kill myself before I had the chance to attack her. It was a weak plan; I wouldn't have had much control over myself, but it kept me thinking.

"The moon finally came and they untied me from that tree. They held me at wand point, taking me to some sort of paddock. They threw me in, and locked me up with spells... then they just left. I waited for them to come back before my transformation, but they didn't.

"Next morning, I had no memory of what had happened. There was loads of blood, but it was only mine, thankfully. There wasn't even a trace of Emmeline anywhere around. The spells that had been locking me in were taken down, and I tried to get away as quickly as possible. The Death Eaters had taken the wand I had, so I was defenseless again... But as I went through their camp, I didn't need defending; the place was deserted and destroyed. It looked as though they'd left in a hurry—fires were still smoldering, and they hadn't taken anything with them except their wands, it seemed.

"I started walking again—crawling more like. I was more exhausted than I can ever remember being. I don't really have much recollection after that—just flashes of things that make no sense. The next thing I clearly remember is seeing Harry in the hospital wing." Remus looked away from his best friend's wide eyes and stared at his blanket. There'd been more to it—more torturing, more near death experiences—but he didn't think Sirius needed to hear all that.

"Well," Sirius said slowly after long minutes of silence. "And here I was thinking I'd had a bad few months..."

Remus chuckled. "I think I would've preferred staying here," he said.

"You're not the only one, mate," Sirius muttered. After a few more minutes of thoughtful silence, Sirius grinned suddenly. "So... you and Emmeline..." he said suggestively.

Remus rolled his eyes but smiled. "What about us?" he asked in a mock-bored voice.

"What's going on?" Sirius demanded.

Remus shrugged. "I honestly don't know, Padfoot."

"When are you going to take her out?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I want to see my ickle Moonykins happy," Sirius said simply with a straight face.

Remus raised an incredulous eyebrow. "What did you just call me?" Sirius only smiled. Remus shook his head, not even wanting to know where that had come from. "I'll be happy when this war is over, Sirius," he said.

"It'll happen," Sirius said.

"You seem quite sure of yourself."

"I am," the Auror said. "Think about it, Remus. You and I are the last of the Marauders. James is gone, Peter is as good as gone... There's got to be a reason you and I survived this long, right? We've got to have a bigger role in this war. We already know what Harry's got to do..."

"That's true," Remus agreed thoughtfully. "Maybe we'll live through this after all, hmm?"

"Absolutely," Sirius said. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'll go try and get some sleep for a change."

"Sounds like a good plan," Remus said.

Sirius reached over, pulling Remus into a one-armed hug, and kissed his temple. "Night, Moony," Sirius said gruffly.

"Good night, Padfoot."

* * *

_Even after using the techniques Emmeline had taught him to block his mind, Harry still found himself caught up in a dream world. The location was familiar; he'd seen it on the night of Voldemort's rebirthing—it was the ruins of his parents' home in Godric's Hollow. Nothing seemed much different from the last time Harry had seen it, save the fact that there was no large cauldron standing in the middle, nor was there a Death Eater holding a bundle of rags._

_He'd seen pictures of what the house had once looked like and thought it quite a shame that it was now a pile of rubbish. He took a few automatic steps forward through the rusted wrought-iron gate and up the front path. He smiled when the scenery changed. No longer was he standing before destruction; now it was a beautiful two-story cottage with a colorful garden surrounding all four sides._

"_Why am I here?" he wondered aloud. "Why does Voldemort want me to see this?"_

_He knew he shouldn't be here, that this was what he was trying to avoid with learning Occlumency, but he was curious. Every other vision he'd received from the Dark Lord showed death and darkness and chaos. Maybe this wasn't a vision. Maybe this was just an ordinary dream..._

_He bit his lip (he couldn't feel it) and opened the white door to the cottage. Everything looked normal. There were children's toys scattered around, family photos covering the hallway walls. _

_He could hear laughter in the kitchen, lots of it. Curious still, he followed the sounds and received a slight shock when he stepped over the kitchen's threshold. _

_A family sat at a large mahogany table eating breakfast. Three of the family members Harry recognized, but there were two others he'd never seen before. His mother and father sat at either end of the table, smiling fondly at their children. Harry sat between them, laughing into his glass of pumpkin juice. Across from him were two children between the ages of six and ten, a boy and a girl. The boy had dark red hair and could have easily been mistaken for Ron's younger brother if it hadn't been for the glasses. The girl had long black hair and Harry's green eyes._

_Nothing too special was happening—it was just a family enjoying breakfast together. Harry supposed this was what life would have been like without Voldemort. He enjoyed the sight, but wondered idly where Sirius and Remus were. He went back to the hallway and scanned the pictures. The most recent one he could find of his guardians were from when the little girl in the kitchen—his sister—had been born._

"_What happened to them?" Harry muttered to himself._

_As an answer, the house around him vanished and was replaced by the cemetery where his parents were buried. His feet took him almost automatically to a spot on a hill where two gravestones sat just ten feet apart. Both were granite, just like Harry's parents' gravestones, and both had pictures of an animal engraved on them._

_On the first gravestone was a wolf. Just below it, written in gold script were the words that proved to Harry that this wasn't an ordinary dream:_

_**Remus John Lupin**_

_**11 March 1960 - 31 October 1988**_

_**Friend. Brother. Hero.**_

_Beside that gravestone was one with a dog carved into it._

_**Sirius Orion Black**_

_**12 December 1959 - 31 October 1988**_

_**Friend. Brother. Hero.**_

_Harry wasn't enjoying this dream as much as he had initially. He had a family—a real family—with his Mum and Dad and siblings, but the two people who'd made him who he was today had been gone for half his life. As much as he'd thought about what his life would have been like had his parents lived, he never thought he'd be without Sirius and Remus._

* * *

Harry shot straight up in his bed breathing heavily. Beside his bed, Ron was in his own, snoring loudly, his dreams undisturbed. The scar on Harry's forehead tingled a bit and he rubbed it absentmindedly, coming to a decision.

Tomorrow, he would talk to Sirius.


	18. Eighteen

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Eighteen_

Christmas Eve morning started out as normal a day as possible in Number Twelve. No owls about Death Eaters attacking innocents had come in, no screams of terror were heard from Remus or Harry, and the house in general seemed full of Christmas spirit.

While Molly prepared breakfast, Sirius began to gather things from the pantry for dinner that night. He'd just pulled out a large honey ham from the icebox when Harry walked in. The boy was still in his pajamas, his hair still messy from sleep, but he looked wide-awake and actually a bit nervous.

Godfather and godson looked at each other for long moments at a loss for words, as if they were complete strangers. Harry looked as though he desperately wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin. Sirius waited patiently.

"So..." Harry began awkwardly. "Christmas dinner, eh?" he said, gesturing to the ham in Sirius' hands.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, Molly's making just about everything in the house."

"Should be good..." Harry cleared his throat and looked over his shoulder into the kitchen. He ruffled his hair a bit and tried again. "Listen, Sirius..." He sighed. Sirius raised an eyebrow in question. "Um, I'm sorry. You know, about what I said on Halloween. I didn't mean it... I mean, I know you're not my real father, but you're as good as it, and—"

Harry's words were cut off when Sirius dropped the ham back into the icebox and pulled Harry into a nearly bone-crushing hug. Harry returned it with the same enthusiasm.

"Forget about it, kid," Sirius said, his voice muffled in Harry's hair. "We were both pretty stressed that night. I'm sorry, too."

After a few moments, Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head and pulled away, wiping at his eyes gruffly. "Too much dust in here," he muttered. "Here, help me with this ham." Harry laughed and accepted said ham, leading the way out of the pantry and into the kitchen.

"So," Sirius said, "Draco Malfoy makes a good ferret, I hear."

Harry laughed loudly, attracting Remus' attention from his conversation with Arthur and Emmeline. The werewolf smiled broadly at the abrupt change in attitude of his family members. Sirius sent him a wink and continued gathering things for dinner.

* * *

Later that night, a Christmas party was in progress in Number Twelve's kitchen. Most of the Order had turned up, as had Andromeda and Ted Tonks. Much to their daughter's relief, they'd gotten along wonderfully with Kingsley Shacklebolt and thought he was a great match for her. They said Kingsley reminded them of both Sirius and Remus—he had Sirius' sense of humor and Remus' intellect and sensibility.

The atmosphere of Number Twelve had greatly improved with Remus' return a month ago, but nothing had put the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black in a better mood than having Sirius and Harry finally speaking again. If one had entered the kitchen that night, they never would have known there was a war going on in the wizarding world; every face in the kitchen had a smile on it. Even when the party was moved from the basement to the upstairs library, and Tonks accidentally set off Mrs. Black, no one complained; they all laughed at Sirius' mother's insults and went on their way.

Up in the library, Harry and Ron set up a wizarding wireless for entertainment, and Sirius opened a few bottles of champagne. Remus was leaning against a desk, watching the festivities, when Fred very innocently pointed out that there was mistletoe above his head. He looked up and blinked as a snowflake fell into his eyeball. Somebody (and Remus had a very good idea who—Sirius and Harry were grinning at him from the other side of the room) had charmed the mistletoe to snow on its victims. He was willing to bet that said mistletoe would follow him everywhere he went. He took a step to the left, and then quickly back to the right. His assumption was correct, and there was only one way to get the charmed mistletoe to go away.

He glared at his family, even started plotting revenge, when out of the corner of his eye he spotted Emmeline coming towards him. He turned towards her, and without any warning, she pulled him towards her by the collar of his shirt, giving him a long, tender kiss. When they reluctantly pulled away, both of them were breathing heavily, and she whispered, "I've wanted to do that since fourth year."

* * *

Sirius and Harry sat side-by-side on the library sofa that had been pushed against the wall for the party, sipping champagne and butterbeer, respectively.

"It's about damn time," Sirius muttered with a grin, watching Remus and Emmeline slow dance beside Molly and Arthur, Tonks and Kingsley, and Andromeda and Ted. Harry murmured his agreement. "So what about you, kid? Any young witch striking your fancy?"

Harry blushed a bit and took a sip of his butterbeer. "I don't know. Tonks isn't bad looking."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "First of all, Tonks' appearance changes daily, sometimes hourly. Secondly, I'm _pretty_ sure she and Kingsley are together."

Harry shrugged. "You asked," he said, staring out into the party.

"Come on, Harry," Sirius said, nudging the boy's shoulder. "You've already told me about someone..."

Harry winced. "You remember that, huh?"

"It wasn't that long ago and I'm not that bloody old," Sirius said flatly.

Harry rolled his eyes and leaned up to whisper something in his godfather's ear.

"Really?" Sirius said thoughtfully. "Makes sense... Seems to run in the family, too..."

Harry blushed deeper and tried to disappear into the sofa cushion. He was sure one of the sofas in the Black house actually tried to swallow people, but unfortunately for him, it wasn't this one.

"And that's another thing," Sirius continued, "this shyness you've got going. You're going to get nowhere if you keep that up."

"Remus was shy," Harry pointed out, watching his surrogate uncle pull Emmeline closer to him as they danced.

"True, but Remus was also one of the smartest in our year. All he ever did between full moons and pranks was study, so shyness was natural. You, Harry, are a Quidditch player. Quidditch players are not shy."

"Quidditch players aren't supposed to be the saviors of the world, either."

"Do you have an answer for everything?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Harry smirked. "I was raised by you, after all."

* * *

Next morning, Christmas morning, the whole of Number Twelve was gathered in the kitchen enjoying a large breakfast prepared, of course, by Molly. The children were talking animatedly to one another about what they'd received while the adults watched fondly. Remus took a sip of his coffee and looked across the table at Sirius. He felt a pang of guilt as his best friend tried to hide his disappointment. Sirius had gotten him a new wand from Ollivander's, since his had been broken to pieces in France. Remus had a present for him, but he couldn't give it to him until later in the day when Kingsley arrived. Remus had been working on getting Sirius this gift for a year, and only in the past week had he succeeded. There'd been problems with locating it, making sure it was in working condition, not to mention a lot of red tape with the Ministry... Luckily, Kingsley and Arthur had been able to help out, and finally, things were ready.

A hand softly rubbed Remus' back for a moment and he turned to his left. Emmeline smiled and grabbed a plate, sitting down beside him. "Happy Christmas," Remus said quietly with a smile.

"Happy Christmas," she replied a bit tiredly.

"I've got a gift for you, but I thought I'd give it to you in private," he said a bit anxiously.

Emmeline's eyebrows shot up as she scooped scrambled eggs onto her plate. "Really now?" she said, her lips twitching. Remus realized what his statement could have implied and started to stammer out apologies and tell her what he really meant. She only grinned and shook her head. "Calm down, Remus." She chuckled. "I've got something for you, as well."

"You didn't have to get me anything... You've already gotten me those books," he muttered awkwardly.

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "Books on Christmas...

"There's nothing wrong with giving books on Christmas," he muttered slightly defensively.

She rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "Of course not."

* * *

Dumbledore arrived later in the day looking grave. He pulled Sirius and Remus away from a rather violent game of wizard's chess between Harry and George, and into the library. He informed the two younger wizards that the protections surrounding Harry's prophecy had been breached the night before. He wasn't positive how it had happened; the spells were supposed to have been unbreakable by any force, wizard or otherwise. Sirius started to grow quite angry, and Remus thought Dumbledore might leave Number Twelve with a black eye.

Remus, however, remained calm. There was something in the way Dumbledore broke the news that told him it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Sirius managed to sputter his inquiry of who had broken through the protections.

"Kreacher," Dumbledore said quietly.

Sirius blinked a few times, trying to understand exactly what Dumbledore had just said. "Kreacher," he repeated flatly. The Headmaster nodded. "How?"

"Sirius, the man just said he didn't know," Remus said quietly.

"No, that's not what I meant. I thought Kreacher was locked up somewhere he couldn't get away from. You told me that yourself, Dumbledore," Sirius said a bit heatedly.

"I do not believe Kreacher acted alone last night. Someone in the school helped him escape from the dungeon room I placed him in."

"Snape," Sirius said promptly. "No one else could have known he was there..."

Remus dropped his head into his hands and groaned while Dumbledore replied, "Severus Snape has done no such thing, Sirius. Not even he was aware of where I was keeping Kreacher. I realize how reluctant you are to trust Severus, Sirius, but I must ask you not to jump to conclusions in this matter. Remember who it was that saved Harry in August."

"I'm well aware of who saved my godson," Sirius said through gritted teeth. "But that doesn't mean that I trust Sniv—_Snape_. He only made the antidote because you asked him to."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "If my memory serves me correctly, Sirius," he began mildly, "it was you, not I, who asked Severus to prepare the antidote."

Sirius deflated a little and sat in an armchair.

"So there's somebody else in the school who wants to get to the prophecy," Remus said quietly. "Any idea who it may be, sir?"

"None," Dumbledore said lightly. "But the matter will not go uninvestigated. If worse comes to worst, which it may very well do, the prophecy will be destroyed. It is, after all, only a record."

"What happened to Kreacher?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"Well," Dumbledore began, "he discovered the prophecy and attempted to handle it. As you both very well know, the only persons who can handle a prophecy are those about whom it has been made. Kreacher has lost the remaining sanity he once had—" Sirius snorted an incredulous laugh. "—and is now in St. Mungo's. The Healers do not think they can save him."

* * *

Harry and the Weasleys sat in the drawing room with candy wrappers and boxes spread out around them. All of them were wearing Weasley jumpers, each with various pictures and colors—Harry's was emerald green with a golden snitch on the front.

"Anyone heard from Hermione?" Ron asked thickly through a mouth full of licorice wand.

"She sent a letter with my Christmas present," Ginny said distractedly, flipping through a book Sirius bought Harry—_Great Pranksters of the Last Century_. "She's coming to visit in a few days."

Ron nodded and looked away, staring pensively at the blank space the Black family tapestry once occupied. Harry rolled his eyes at his best friend and started a game of Exploding Snap with Fred. It was more than obvious that Ron fancied Hermione, especially after the Yule Ball last year. If the two of them could just stop bickering long enough—

There was a crash in the hallway. Harry and the Weasleys looked at one another and covered their ears in anticipation for what was to come. Sure enough, Mrs. Black began to screech. It didn't last more than ten seconds, thankfully, before someone closed the portrait's curtains. Harry lowered his hands from his ears and stood to peek out the door for who had entered. Tonks looked highly disgruntled with her bright red hair as Kingsley chuckled and led her down the stairs to the kitchen. Harry grinned at his friends and quickly led them down as well.

* * *

Sirius and Remus were in the middle of a chess game when Kingsley and Tonks entered the kitchen. Remus gave Kingsley a pointed look while Sirius concentrated on his next move, silently asking him if everything was ready. The black Auror nodded and winked before greeting Molly with a kiss on the cheek.

"Sirius," Remus said.

"Huh?" Sirius grunted, still concentrating on his chess pieces.

"Are you ready for your Christmas present?"

Sirius snapped his head away from the chessboard. "What Christmas present?"

Remus raised an eyebrow and grinned. "You didn't actually think I'd forgotten about you?" Apparently, Sirius had thought just that, judging by the look on his face. Remus shook his head. "There're two parts to it," Remus explained. "Now, I could have given you the first part this morning, but it would have given everything else away, and I know how much you just love surprises." Sirius grinned. "Harry, if you will..."

Sirius turned to find Harry holding a box wrapped in red with gold ribbon. "This is a joint gift from Harry and myself," Remus said while Sirius ripped apart the paper like an overeager five-year-old.

"Whoa," Sirius whispered once he'd lifted the lid off the box. "This can't... Where did you... _How?"_

Remus grinned again. "I found it in some old boxes," he said dismissively. Sirius looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, Kingsley and I went to your old flat and found it hanging in the closet."

Sirius laughed and tried on his old leather jacket. "Perfect fit," he muttered, rubbing the material. "Thanks, Moony."

"Don't thank me yet, mate. Check the pockets."

Sirius did, and his brow furrowed when he felt another box in the left pocket. He pulled it out—it looked like a jewelry box. Glancing at the broad smiles on Remus and Harry's faces, he opened the box. Inside was a silver key.

"No..." he breathed. "You didn't..." he added to Remus.

"It's taken a bit of time. Hagrid had it hidden away and couldn't remember where. Anyway, it's quite workable. Kingsley brought it by the other day when you were at the Ministry. I didn't try it out, though; I was never too fond of it, plus I thought you'd want to test it out first." Remus smiled.

"It's here?" Sirius asked loudly, smiling widely. Remus nodded happily. "Where?" he demanded.

"Out back," Kingsley said with his own grin. "Wouldn't have been any good for a Muggle to catch a glimpse at it, now would it?"

Sirius laughed and sprinted up the stairs two at a time. They heard the backdoor open and hit the opposite wall, and Sirius' cries of joy. Everyone in the kitchen followed him, and found the Auror sitting atop a shining black and silver motorbike. He looked like he was nineteen again, Remus thought happily as Sirius stroked the silver handlebars with tears in his eyes.

"We've added a few things to it, Sirius," Arthur called from the door. "There's now an invisibility booster for when you fancy a fly."

"Brilliant," Sirius exclaimed, still smiling widely.

"And Remus added a few charms to make sure nobody can fall off."

Sirius rolled his eyes at Remus. "Thank you, Moony!"

"You're welcome, Padfoot. We've also charmed it not to rust. When we first got it back, it wasn't looking too pretty, but you shouldn't have to worry about leaving it in the snow," Remus said.

Sirius got off the bike and rushed over to hug Remus tightly. "Thanks, mate," he said with a ruffle of his best friend's hair.

"Happy Christmas, Sirius," Remus said, pushing his friend away.

"So who wants to try this thing out with me?"

* * *

Later that night, Sirius was still out riding his bike with Harry, and Remus was working on something for Dumbledore. He and the Headmaster had come to an agreement that Remus would remain strictly on light duty for the Order for the time being. Remus thought Madam Pomfrey and Sirius had a large influence on Dumbledore's decision. Truth be told, Remus wasn't too enthusiastic about another mission any time soon. He'd had enough adventure and danger to last him the rest of his life. He knew there'd come a day that he'd have to leave Number Twelve for some sort of mission, but for now, he was more than happy with strategic plans and research.

There was a knock on his bedroom door and he called for the person to enter. He turned to find Emmeline smiling a little shyly as she closed the door behind her.

"Hi," he said with a smile.

"Hey," she replied, walking over to him. "What are you working on?"

"Dumbledore's asked me to do some more research on the werewolves in Albania," he replied.

"And you're doing this on Christmas?" she asked flatly.

He chuckled. "It's got to be done sometime, right?"

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I thought I'd bring you your gift, but seeing as how you're busy..."

"I'm never too busy for gifts," he said, setting his quill down and closing the book he was reading.

She smiled and handed him a small, long box. "I wasn't sure what to get you, so I asked Sirius what he thought. He gave me a few more inappropriate suggestions, and then said you might like something like this..."

Remus took the box from her and motioned for her to sit on his bed while he rummaged through his drawers for her gift. "It's not much, but since Molly won't let me out of the house..." He shrugged and handed her a wrapped in purple, shining paper, sitting beside her. They grinned at one another for a moment.

"Together then?" she asked eagerly. He nodded and on the count of three, they tore apart the wrapping paper from their gifts. Remus lifted the lid of his box and stared.

It was a golden pocket watch. Instead of telling time, however, there were small pictures of Sirius and Harry on the hands. And instead of numbers, there were words—sleep, work, school, Quidditch, detention, prison, mortal peril, dead... It was a miniature version of the Weasley clock at the Burrow.

"Remus..." Emmeline breathed. He turned to her nervously, wondering if his gift was as good as the watch she'd given him.

It was music box made from red oak. The lid had intricate carvings of flowers, and symbols, and, if Emmeline looked very closely, a wolf howling at the moon. He gulped as she lifted the lid to look inside. A quiet, lovely tune played when the lid opened on its hinges, and there was room for storing jewelry or whatever she wanted to place in there.

Remus was growing nervous as she just stared at his gift. "If-if you don't like it..." he said quietly, not sure how to place the look on her face.

She looked away from the box reluctantly to look at Remus. "What?" she said quietly. "No... no, I love it... It's beautiful."

"I know it's nothing close to this watch, but like I said, I—" He was cut off when Emmeline leaned in to kiss him. He returned the kiss almost instantly—once the shock of her actually liking his gift faded—and cupped her face gently.

The need for air very rudely interrupted them, and they pulled away from one another, their foreheads touching. He reached down and closed the lid of the music box, setting it on his desk chair for the time being. They smiled at one another again, their hands entangled, rubbing each other's fingers.

"So what now?" she whispered.

He grinned mischievously and leaned in to kiss her again. She laughed quietly against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him to her.

* * *

Sirius and Harry didn't return to Number Twelve until well past midnight. Exhausted, both wizards made their way upstairs and muttered good night to one another. Sirius decided to check on Remus, to see if he was still awake, and inquire to how Emmeline liked her gift, and crossed the hall. He carefully and quietly opened the door, noticing there wasn't a light on. He grinned widely when he set eyes on the sight before him. Remus and Emmeline were curled up together in the bed, sleeping soundly. Sirius was sure he noticed a small smile on Remus' sleeping face before he left the room.


	19. Nineteen

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Nineteen_

By March, things had gone relatively back to normal in the life of Sirius Black. There was still a war raging on in the wizarding world—since the new year, numerous Ministry officials had gone missing or had been found dead in their homes, and Death Eaters were still evading capture—and the efforts to defeat Lord Voldemort were growing desperate. But Sirius was once again optimistic that the war _could_ be ended.

For nearly a month, however, nothing horrific had occurred. It was as though Voldemort had gone on vacation. Sirius and Remus joked about the Dark Lord on a beach in the Bahamas, but the images this brought to their minds were too disturbing to continue discussing.

Sirius kept his Aurors on their toes; they couldn't show signs weakness or exhaustion or that they were letting their guard down. He knew that as soon as that happened, Voldemort would strike with no mercy—not that they'd been shown any mercy in the last year and a half...

Security around the wizarding communities had been, once again, increased. The only truly safe places around anymore—in Sirius' opinion—were Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic, and Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, as much as he hated to admit that...

Minister of Magic Amelia Bones feared the use of the dead in attacks against their world. It was an understandable fear, and one that was highly probable; Voldemort had used Inferi in the last war, and he was not above using Dementor's Kiss victims in attacks, so why wouldn't he do so now?

The Order of the Phoenix continued their jobs in searching for Voldemort, but with no luck. Naomi and Snape provided information on Death Eater movements to the best of their abilities, but couldn't explain Voldemort's break in activity.

Naomi did tell the Order that the Dark Lord was still aching to get his pale, bony fingers around the prophecy. Dumbledore finally took the advice Sirius had been giving him for almost a year, and along with Remus and Harry, went deep into the castle to where the prophecy was hidden, taking down the complicated charms as they went. Almost enthusiastically, Remus told Sirius, Harry had thrown the prophecy against a stone wall, shattering it. Dumbledore admitted later to Remus that he was pleased to be rid of it. There would come a time when Voldemort would no longer be afraid to attack the castle of Hogwarts, and there needn't be more of an incentive for him to do so.

Kreacher finally died at St. Mungo's in February after having tried to handle the prophecy. It still wasn't clear how he'd been able to move through the protections set by Remus and Dumbledore, nor was it clear who had assisted the house-elf. Dumbledore believed that whoever it was had known the dangers of touching a prophecy, and so sent Kreacher instead. Sirius didn't know whether to find the person and shake their hand for ridding him of Kreacher or throw them in Azkaban for trying to steal the prophecy. Perhaps both...

Remus made a nearly full recovery from his injuries, although his leg still acted up from time to time, usually on or after the full moon. His relationship with Emmeline had grown greatly since Christmas, and Sirius was now asking Remus on a daily basis when the wedding would be and if he could be best man. Sirius loved seeing his best friend so thrilled with life—not even Naomi, who was now attending every Order meeting, could bring Remus down.

While Remus still didn't trust Naomi one bit, he found ignoring her presence completely rather satisfying. Sirius wasn't too trusting of Naomi, either, but the two had recently started to exchange small talk. Naomi finally found that Harry was quite alive and well, and was both eager and hesitant to learn about him.

During one particular Order meeting, when Remus and Emmeline entered the kitchen hand-in-hand, Sirius was sure he saw looks of jealousy and remorse pass over Naomi's face. She'd asked Sirius after the meeting if Remus was happy with Emmeline. When he replied in the affirmative, he thought Naomi looked a bit upset, even though she expressed that she was happy for him. Sirius also noticed that the looks of pure loathing Snape usually shot Remus were filled with more venom over recent months. They were the same looks Snape used to send Sirius and James. Remus didn't seem to notice—Remus tried not to pay any attention to Snape so Sirius took on the task of returning the looks the Potions master gave Remus every meeting with much pleasure.

"Busy?" came a voice from Sirius' office door.

Without looking up from a file of the most recent deaths, Sirius replied, "Come on in, Moony."

He heard Remus enter and sit in the chair across from his desk with a tired sigh. He looked up as Remus yawned widely, and couldn't resist his next comment.

"Late night with Emmeline?"

Remus glared at him. "No," he said with what sounded like regret. "I just had a bit of trouble sleeping."

"Isn't that what I just implied?" Sirius ducked quickly as Remus threw a spare quill at his head. Once he'd finished laughing at his friend's reaction, he looked closer at Remus' face. Remus was looking more tired than he had in many months, with black and blue bags forming under his eyes and tired lines on his face.

"What's wrong?"

Remus shrugged, staring at the corner of Sirius' desk. "I told you, I've been having trouble sleeping."

"I know that, but why?"

Again, Remus shrugged.

"Is it about Emmeline?"

"No."

"The war?"

"Partly."

"Harry? Me? What? Tell me, dammit!"

"Nightmares," was the barely audible response.

Sirius sat back in his chair and sighed. "I thought you were over those," he said quietly.

"As did I," Remus muttered bitterly. "But apparently I'm not. They're not as bad as they were, I suppose, but they're still not the type of dreams I'd prefer to have."

"Feel like telling me about them?'

Remus shook his head. "Not here," he muttered.

Sirius nodded slowly, watching Remus remove lint from his blue robes. "So what're you doing at the Ministry, my dear Mister Moony?"

Remus smiled a bit. "Just visiting a few people," he said evasively.

"Emmeline?"

Again, Remus glared. "No, I haven't been to see Emmeline yet. You're my second visit."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "And who was the first?"

"The Minister."

"Why?" Sirius asked slowly.

"She asked me to assist in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"Doing what?"

"Well," Remus began, "she says I'm more informed about magical and dark creatures than half of her current staff, and she wants me to head the department to get the others more knowledgeable."

"You're kidding!" Sirius said loudly. "Remus, that's great! What'd you say?"

"Said I'd think about it," Remus muttered, avoiding his best friend's eyes.

"What the hell is there to think about? Head of your own department without any experience in the Ministry! No one's ever managed that!"

Remus shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Well, that's the problem, isn't it? How do you think people are going to react to a werewolf practically coming off the streets to run their department?" he whispered harshly.

"I could name a dozen or more people who would be thrilled about it," Sirius said promptly. "Remus, your entire being doesn't revolve around your being a werewolf. Those idiots who say different deserve to be cursed very badly. You're qualified for this job. I've never met anybody with more knowledge on how a kappa mates than you." Remus chuckled. "You've always said you enjoy researching this type of stuff. Sure it's not teaching at Hogwarts—which I know you loved above anything and everything else you've ever done— but come on! You can't just spend your days running errands for Molly or doing things for Dumbledore. Take the job, Remus."

Remus looked as though he wanted nothing more that to agree and take the job that very second. He had the same gleam in his eyes that he'd had when Dumbledore had offered him the teaching post at Hogwarts. Of course, the same discussion about Remus' condition and whether or not he would be successful had been brought up then. Remus was the only Defense professor to have lasted more than two years that Sirius could recall. And if Snape hadn't been such a bastard, he'd probably still be there.

But since he'd resigned from Hogwarts, Remus had become reluctant to reenter the working world. The same old fears of rejection that he'd had after graduation from Hogwarts returned, and Remus was once again forcing himself to become absorbed in his books. He was okay with being unemployed, though he wouldn't allow Sirius to completely provide for their little family; Remus used what little savings he kept in Gringotts whenever possible. He had been relieved when Dumbledore had offered small pay for those in the Order. Sirius always hoped something would come along to boost his friend's confidence—he'd stopped trying to get Remus to go back out for a job a month after his return from Hogwarts to the cottage.

"But what if—" Remus began.

"No," Sirius said firmly, pointing his finger at Remus. "I'm not going through the _what if's_ with you again. You know this is different from Hogwarts. You won't be staying at the Ministry for the full moons, so there's still only the danger of biting me—"

"That's not funny," Remus snapped.

"Sorry... I didn't mean it like that. Look, there's a reason Bones wants you here. She obviously trusts you, Remus. Bones has been trying to reword the werewolf legislations Fudge and Umbridge setup for years now, and you know it." Sirius sighed. "Remus, you're my best friend, and you know I love you dearly, but if you don't accept Bones' offer, you're a damned fool," he said bluntly. "I remember what it was like for you when James, me, Lily, Julia, Naomi, and even Peter got jobs with the Ministry without really trying. I remember how terrible you felt when they repeatedly declined your applications for every department. But now you've got the _Minister of Magic_ wanting you to _head_ a department... You cannot turn this down."

For long minutes, the two friends silently stared at one another as though having a battle of wills. Remus finally looked away and sighed heavily. "You really think I could do this?" he asked quietly.

"Yes!" Sirius exclaimed so enthusiastically that half of the Aurors jumped and peered into the office.

Remus chuckled. "All right, then. I'll go back and talk to Minister Bones before I leave."

Sirius grinned. "'Atta boy, Moony!" he said. "And think about this if you're still not totally convinced that this will be the best decision in your young life: You get to see me and Emmeline all day, everyday," he said in a loud whisper.

Remus smirked. "Well, I wouldn't mind seeing Emmeline, but if I have to put up with you more than I already have to, I may just go insane..." he teased.

"Ha ha," Sirius replied dryly. "I think a celebration is in order tonight. You get the food, I'll get the booze."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "I think you've had quite enough booze to last the rest of your life, Sirius."

"For your information, I haven't had any Ogden's since November, thank you very much."

Remus shook his head and sighed. "If you say so, Sirius. All right, I'm going to go say hello to Emmeline, and pop back up to Minister Bones' office. I'll see you tonight."

* * *

Inside the Great Hall that night, the house tables had been pushed up against the walls, providing more than enough room for a large group of students to gather in the center. Mad-Eye Moody stood before them watching in an almost pained expression as the students attempted the spells he'd taught them. It was the fifth meeting of his Defense group, and while a few of the students were doing exceptionally well, the majority made Moody wonder how they'd even gotten a wand in their hands.

The most improved by far, and by no surprise to Moody, was Harry Potter. The boy was a natural with a wand; how could he not be with the parents he'd been born to and the wizards he was raised by? Moody always knew Harry would do well in life, but the fluid movements he made with his wand and the quick reflexes and reactions... The boy gave Moody déjà vu to James Potter's days. James had been a shining star in the Auror squads when he'd joined, one of the best the Ministry had seen in many years. He'd been hesitant to join the Aurors, after what had happened to his parents, but Moody had convinced him it was the right thing to do. If James hadn't perished, Moody was willing to bet his magical eye that he'd be sitting in Sirius Black's chair inside Auror Headquarters right now.

Not that Moody regretted his choice in Sirius as Head Auror—quite the contrary, actually. Moody had faced much controversy when he'd announced whom he'd wanted as his replacement. And though Moody didn't always agree with some of the things Sirius did with the Aurors, he'd been successful. During the first war, it had been almost impossible to capture Death Eaters. Sirius and his Aurors had captured more than ten in the past year and locked them in Azkaban where they belonged.

Moody shot a few sparks into the air to gather the attention of his pupils. Granted, it didn't do much good considering the fact that none of them were paying him the slightest bit of attention. "OY!" he bellowed to the group of students. A few of them jumped, and one or two actually dropped their wands. _Pitiful_, the retired Auror thought. _"_Now we're going to practice the patronus charm I showed you lot last week. Most of you aren't going to get it on your first try; don't be discouraged. It's a difficult charm to perform, and even more difficult to master. Of course, it'll be relatively easier for you lot to practice without dementors floating around trying to suck out your souls," he added lightly, ignoring the frightened looks on some of the younger students. "We're going to do the charm in groups of five at a time. I'll call you up in alphabetical order. I want everyone else to stand back against the walls, give the others a good amount of room..."

He called the first bunch of students to the front of the hall and instructed them to face the golden doors of the Great Hall. He reminded them of the words to be spoken, and on the count of three, five voices cried out, "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_" The only student with any success was a seventh year Ravenclaw—his wand emitted a puff of smoke, which disappeared seconds later.

Moody wasn't at all disappointed—he hadn't expected anything to really happen on their first tries. But when Hermione Granger nearly burst into tears after she couldn't manage the charm, Moody had to send her to the girls' bathroom to calm down.

The last group of the night consisted of Harry Potter and the Weasley children. Moody repeated the instructions to them as he had with the others ("Think of a happy memory and hold on to it"). When the five of them cried out in perfect unison "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!" _Moody's eyes widened to the point that his magical eye threatened to fall out of its socket. Harry was in the center of the group, and not only had he managed a wisp of smoke, but there was now a corporeal patronus trotting across the Great Hall and through the double doors. The hall was in complete silence as every eye followed the progress of Harry's patronus. The only sound was when Moody limped to the front of the group to take a look at Harry's face. He was in as much shock as the rest of them.

"Bloody hell, Harry," Ron Weasley muttered.

"My thoughts exactly, Weasley," Moody said quietly, still watching Harry.

"I did it," Harry breathed.

"Not only did you do it, but you did it damn well," Moody said gruffly. He leaned in closer to Harry. "Your father would be very proud, boy. Very proud."

Harry smiled widely as Moody dismissed the group, all of which was begging to see Harry's patronus again. "Next time," Moody assured them. "But now you need to get to bed. Go on now!"

Moody listened to the students mutter in disappointment as they gathered their belongings and left for their common rooms. After moving the house tables back into their original positions, Moody returned to his quarters and immediately sat down to write a letter to Harry's guardians. They, too, would be quite proud of the boy.


	20. Twenty

**Warning: Character Death.**

**

* * *

**_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty_

Though his friends assured him he would be brilliant, Remus Lupin was unusually nervous about starting his new job as Head of the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. In fact, he couldn't remember being that nervous about anything in his life. His hands had been shaking so horribly the morning he'd started that he hadn't even been able to get his robes on properly; Emmeline had taken pity on him after a while.

As he'd gone down the lifts that first day, and said good bye to Emmeline as she got off at Level Six (Department of Magical Transportation) as if he'd never see her again, he'd thought about just leaving. What could he possibly contribute to the department he was supposed to be heading that would be worth anything? But Sirius and Arthur had practically pushed him off the lift, telling him that he would be great and that they'd see him at lunch.

There were many in his department who gave him less-than welcoming looks when he entered the doors (namely Amos Diggory). But upon entering his new office, Charlie Weasley called out to him. Apparently the second eldest Weasley child had been under pressure from his mother since Percy's arrest to move closer to home, and he'd taken up residence at Bill's London flat and a job in the Ministry to satisfy her. He missed the Romanian dragons, but said it was good to be nearer to his family. Remus was just happy to have a friendly face in his department.

Charlie introduced him to most of the others in the department, and even told him the story of the old head, who hadn't been very popular, and who most thought was mental. The reason he'd resigned was because of a rather nasty bite from a rabid goldfish. Nobody could figure out how the fish had grown teeth, much less become infected with rabies, but the majority of them hadn't cared enough to delve deeper into an investigation—as previously stated, he hadn't been very popular.

By the time he met up with Sirius, Emmeline, Arthur, Tonks, and Kingsley at lunch, his mood had improved greatly. He never realized how much he'd missed going to work everyday and having something more than Order work to pass the time. He enjoyed his job and the responsibilities that came along with it. He enjoyed the people he worked with—save Amos Diggory. And he enjoyed being involved in the Ministry of Magic. Regardless of the war around them, the Ministry was one big gossip mill on many a day, and it was quite amusing to hear some of the rumors—for instance: Apparently, Sirius Black, head of the Auror Department, _charmed_ his hair black. Remus had a lot of fun with that bit of information.

Many cases flooded over Remus' desk over the coming weeks regarding werewolves. They varied from the recently bitten to brutal murders committed by werewolves. One werewolf whose case Remus was more than familiar with was that of Fenrir Greyback, who had once again made himself known to the world. As far as Remus knew, Greyback had headed underground after Voldemort's first defeat, preferring that to a life in Azkaban. Now that he'd returned, Remus was sure the number of werewolf attacks would increase tenfold—Greyback had always been a well-known supporter of Lord Voldemort.

Remus skimmed down the list of known victims of Greyback—there were hundreds—and stopped a quarter of the way down on one of the names: _Lupin, Remus John, aged four years. _His friends had always known the story of how he'd received his bite—how he'd gone outside late on a full moon for a toy he'd forgotten and how the werewolf in the woods behind his home had attacked him. When he'd been younger, Remus had felt the need for revenge. Greyback had cursed him over an argument with his father, and he'd suffered for thirty-two years. As he grew up, though, the need to seek revenge faded mostly, being replaced by the need to fight against the Dark Side and end the war with Voldemort.

"Hey, you," said a voice from his doorway.

Remus quickly closed Greyback's file and looked up smiling. "Hey," he said.

Emmeline crossed the office and sat in a chair across from his desk, looking around appreciatively. "Looks good in here," she said.

"Yeah, it was a bit bare, wasn't it? Don't know how much more of the white walls I could've taken before pulling my hair out," he said with a chuckle.

"Don't go doing that. I happen to like your hair." Emmeline grinned.

Remus' desk was filled with pictures of his friends and family smiling back at him. The walls were covered with posters of different magical creatures, and he even had a large tank in the corner with a baby grindylow inside.

Sirius had insisted Remus name it Little Bastard after it had gotten a hold of one of the Auror's fingers with its sharp teeth.

"Kingsley and Tonks have invited us to dinner tonight if you're interested," Emmeline said, breaking Remus' thoughts.

"Oh well, Sirius and I were actually going to work on the map for the Order tonight," Remus replied apologetically.

"Kingsley said he invited Sirius as well, but he declined. He said something about not wanting to be the fifth wheel..."

Remus sighed. "Yes, I think Sirius has been feeling a bit left out lately. Kingsley's almost always with Tonks these days, and you and I haven't been out of each other's company for long, either."

Emmeline raised an eyebrow as Remus started sorting through different reports. "If you prefer, we can spend some time apart."

Remus looked up startled, but sighed in relief when he saw her lips twitching. "That's not what I was saying," he muttered. "Sirius is just..." He extended his arms in hopes they would give him some word for his best friend's thoughts and feelings. "He's used to having me around, and since I've come back from... well, being gone, he's been very protective of me."

She smiled. "From what I've gathered, he's always been rather protective of you."

"True," Remus conceded with a smile. "I don't know. I know he's happy to see the two of us together, but..."

"Do you think he's jealous?"

Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Not jealous, no. But left out, as I said."

"Well, we'll just have to include him more often then, won't we?" Emmeline said matter-of-factly.

Remus grinned. "As much as I love Sirius, Emmeline, there are still certain things I'd rather he not be involved in, if you catch my meaning," he said with a raised eyebrow.

Emmeline laughed. "Completely understandable. So would you rather just stay at Number Twelve, then?"

He sighed again. "No, I need a night away from the place, to be honest. Sirius and I can work on the map another day."

"If you've already told him you'd spend time with him, that's perfectly fine, Remus," Emmeline argued. "I don't want him to feel like I'm stealing you away from him or something."

"He'll be fine," Remus assured her. "It's not as if he's never cancelled plans with me to go out." He shrugged.

Emmeline still didn't seem convinced. "You said Kingsley invited him and he declined. If he wanted to go, he would. It'll be fine."

Emmeline just sighed and looked at her watch. "Are you almost finished? It's nearly five..."

"Yes, I'm finished. Just let me put these files back and we can go. Any idea if Sirius already left?" Remus asked, piling up his files and placing them neatly into their drawers.

"I think he took off with Arthur a few hours ago. I know Arthur was leaving early, and he said something about him and Sirius going to check out a report on charmed toasters being sold to Muggles."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Why is Sirius dealing with that?"

"Well, apparently, the toasters have been brainwashing the user. They're not sure what the brainwashing is doing exactly, but Minister Bones asked Sirius to tag along with Arthur in case something darker was happening."

"Hmm..." Remus said thoughtfully. "Between Sirius and Arthur, I'll be surprised if they can get past the fact that a toaster is a Muggle object."

"Sirius has used a toaster before, hasn't he?" Emmeline asked, slipping her hand into Remus' as they left the department.

"Well, yes, but Sirius can be easily distracted by the simplest things at times. Did I ever tell you the story about Harry's Mr. Potato Head?"

* * *

Kingsley entered his dark home just outside London at seven o'clock that night. He'd be picking up Tonks at her house in an hour, and they'd be meeting Remus and Emmeline for dinner at eight-thirty. He had just enough time to shower, get dressed, and maybe have a butterbeer before going to Tonks'.

It wasn't normal for him to work so late, but the majority of the Ministry had been working odd hours for the past months. The Auror department would be in charge of increased security at Hogwarts starting next term, so Kingsley had been delegating tasks to different squads in order to get charms in place. Sirius was even talking about placing a squad in Hogsmeade with the sole duty of protecting the school and its students when they visited the village.

Sirius had told Kingsley in private he would prefer sending someone from the Order with the sole duty of keeping Harry safe—the dementor incident on Halloween hadn't faded one bit from the Head Auror's mind. Kingsley had carefully reminded him that there were four members of the Order to look out for Harry at Hogwarts—five, when Hagrid returned. Sirius then said he wanted to keep Harry at Number Twelve where _he_ could keep watch on the boy. Kingsley said he, Sirius, would never deny Harry the last two years of Hogwarts, though in his mind, he was skeptical—Sirius' paranoia over his godson had possibly grown to the point of him being willing to pull Harry out of Hogwarts. Kingsley was thankful for Harry's sake that Remus had returned to keep Sirius from doing something stupid like that.

Kingsley went to his refrigerator and pulled out a butterbeer before sitting down in the living room for a few minutes to rest his eyes. He thought he heard a floorboard in the hallway creak, but when he looked, he saw nothing. Blaming it on his mind's exhaustion, he laid his head on the back of the sofa. Even if he had heard a noise, it was probably only his cat coming from his place under his bed upstairs—he'd placed the best locking spells available around his house, and Tonks' small place in Surrey months ago. They were impossible to get by unless one knew the password to get into the house.

His breathing slowed as he relaxed against the sofa. He'd have to get up soon and shower if he didn't want to be late meeting Tonks. But knowing her as he did, she wouldn't be ready when he got there anyway. He'd dated many witches in his days, but none as interesting as the one he was with now. Despite Tonks' habit of tripping over nearly everything that got in her way—and some things she swore moved on their own—Kingsley had become attracted to her quite quickly. Sirius had threatened him numerous times since he and Tonks had gotten together about what would happen to him if he hurt her. But Kingsley was more worried about what _she_ would do to him. Not that he could hurt her; she'd become a large, very important part of his life over the last months. They'd even discussed marriage a few times, and Kingsley was on the verge of buying her a ring—

He didn't hear it coming, but he felt it: a whoosh of air coming straight at him. He opened his eyes just in time to see a bright green jet of light and a cloaked figure standing only ten feet away just before death hit him.

* * *

Tonks stepped out of the shower and reached for a fluffy, bright yellow towel to dry off. She wrapped the towel around her body and looked into the mirror, studying her spiky bubblegum pink hair thoughtfully. She scrunched up her face and closed her eyes tightly. When she opened her bright blue eyes, she examined the now flowing midnight black hair with streaks of dark red.

Smiling in satisfaction, the young witch padded out of her bathroom and down the hall to her bedroom. Most of her house was in a state of disarray, with clothes all over the floor, and even in the kitchen where a bright pink bra hung over the sink faucet—she had no idea how that had gotten there. She just didn't have time for cleaning between work, spending time with Kingsley, Order meetings, Kingsley, visiting her parents, Kingsley, and sleep.

Waving her wand, she turned on her wizarding wireless and turned it up as a new Weird Sisters song came on. Singing loudly and off-key, Tonks looked through her wardrobe for something decent to wear that night. Kingsley said they would be going to a nice Muggle restaurant, and she didn't think her jeans, which had been strategically ripped in various places, and rock band t-shirts would be very acceptable. She finally selected a nice button down shirt and khaki pants. She was about to dry her hair when there was a knock on her door. She looked at the alarm clock beside her bed. _8__:15._ She raised an eyebrow. _He's late..._ she thought amusedly. Kingsley was normally punctual to the point of being annoying.

"Coming!" she called as the knocks became more impatient. She ran through her house, narrowly avoiding a table in the hallway (_Whose idea was it to put a bloody table in the hall anyway?_ she thought irritably). She reached the door and ran a hand through her hair before opening it. "You're late!" she said happily. Her smile faded immediately when she realized Kingsley was not at her door; it was Sirius and Remus. "What're you guys doing here? I thought we were meeting at the restaurant..."

A feeling of dread filled he insides as she saw the looks on the wizards' faces. Sirius' eyes had that deadened look in them—the look he only got when something really horrible happened. Remus' face was expressionless—something she learned he adopted only when something really horrible happened...

"We need to talk," Remus said hoarsely. "May we come in?"

Tonks nodded dumbly and stepped aside to allow her cousin and his best friend inside. "Sorry 'bout the mess," she muttered distractedly. Neither wizard seemed to notice or care about the state of her home. They sat beside one another on the sofa, once Remus moved aside a few of her Muggle records.

"Do you have any firewhiskey, Tonks? I think we may need some," Remus said, gazing at Sirius. The other wizard was staring at the floor, his jaw clenched.

"Er, sure," Tonks replied, summoning a full bottle of Ogden's and three glasses. She poured the drinks and sat in an armchair beside the wizards. "What's happened?" she asked bluntly, not wanting to wait any longer for whatever bad news they had to tell her.

Sirius took his glass of firewhiskey and downed it in three large gulps. Remus sighed shakily, looking anywhere but at Tonks. "Just as Emmeline and I were getting ready to leave for the restaurant," Remus began quietly, "an owl arrived at Headquarters, sent by Dawlish. The Dark Mark was sighted at a house outside London... It was a Ministry official."

Tonks' hands began shaking so badly that she was spilling her drink all over herself. There could only be one reason Sirius and Remus would come to her home to tell her about a Ministry official's death... "No..." she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

"Kingsley didn't even have a chance to defend himself," Remus continued hoarsely.

"No," Tonks repeated, shaking her head slowly. "Dawlish was wrong. It wasn't him... He's just running late…" she said desperately. "Maybe it was someone under Polyjuice like with Karkaroff, right, Sirius?"

Sirius lifted his head from his hands with what looked like a lot of effort to look at his cousin. He shook his head.

"It was him... We checked..." he said, his voice barely audible.

"I'm so sorry, Tonks," Remus said quietly and sincerely.

She dropped her glass and the remaining firewhiskey began soaking her fuchsia carpet. Sirius stood shakily from the sofa and sat beside her on the arm of her chair, pulling her to him. She cried heavily into his chest for what seemed like hours, muttering over and over that they were wrong, that Kingsley was on his way to pick her up now. Somehow, Sirius ended up in the seat of the armchair, cradling her while she cried. When her tears were spent, she still kept her head buried in her cousin's neck as she said quietly, "We were going to be engaged."

Sirius rubbed her back, trying to give her comfort, though he had to know it wasn't doing one bit of good.

"Tonks," Remus said quietly once she'd calmed a bit. "We'd like you to come back to Headquarters for a while, so you're not alone..."

Tonks thought she felt her head move up and down in a nod, but she wasn't sure if she'd managed it. Sirius removed her from his lap and refilled her glass of firewhiskey while Remus went to pack a bag for her. Neither of them spoke; Sirius and Kingsley had been very close friends on top of their being partners for nearly ten years.

Remus reentered the living room some time later and helped Tonks stand. "Do you think you can Floo?" he asked.

She nodded. Of course she could Floo, she wasn't completely incompetent. She wanted to shout this at Remus, but her jaw had locked up. In the back of her mind, she knew that wasn't how Remus meant his question to be taken, but she couldn't care less.

Sirius went through the fireplace first, and she followed. When she fell into the basement kitchen of Number Twelve, she felt Sirius catch her and lead her to a chair beside Emmeline. Tonks buried her head in her arms and cried some more. The witch beside her put her arms around the young Auror, whispering comforting words that didn't mean a damn thing at the moment.

She'd been in love with Kingsley. He was the first man she'd ever felt that deeply for, the only man she'd introduced to her parents with any success. Once her parents had gotten over their age difference—which had never been a factor for the couple—they'd loved Kingsley. Her mother was only saying the other day that he was better than all the other wizards she'd brought home put together.

Sometime in the evening, somebody had taken her and her belongings upstairs to a guest room. That somebody, Emmeline she figured, had gotten her into a comfortable pair of pajamas and settled her in the bed. She fell asleep almost immediately—she'd never known how exhausting crying could be—or maybe it was a sleeping draught. Either way, she didn't want to wake for a few weeks. And when she did, she was hoping this would all be just one big, nasty nightmare.


	21. Twenty One

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-One_

Mid-June at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft of Wizardry meant many things. For one, the term would be ending soon, and the students would be free from homework and teachers for two glorious months. It also meant exams. For the seventh years, it meant N.E.W.T.s; for the fifth years, it meant O.W.L.s. Gryffindor Tower had never been as quiet as it was during O.W.L. week. Hermione Granger could be seen at all hours of the day and night (when she wasn't in class) hunched over books and notes. If a student even made a peep of noise, they could expect to have house points docked by the study-obsessed Prefect. Ron and Harry wanted to tell her it was wrong to dock points from one's own house, but neither of them had the courage to face her glares head-on. Instead, they allowed her to make them detailed, color-coded study schedules, and tried their best to follow them as they sat beside her, hoping she would help them understand what exactly they were reading.

Career advisement had come and gone, leaving Harry to wonder how exactly he was going to pass Potions with an Outstanding. The only career he'd ever shown any interest in was an Auror. He'd, of course, written to Sirius and Remus for help on choosing a path for his future, and they both thought he would do quite well as a dark wizard catcher. Apparently, being an Auror was in Harry's blood—as far back as Sirius could recall, at least one Potter man had been one. Harry knew how both his grandfather and father had died, and wondered darkly if that too was a part of the Potter family Auror tradition. If it was, he'd rethink his career choices—he'd always enjoyed Magical Games and Sports, and he knew the head of the department, Ludo Bagman, well through Sirius.

He knew many of the Aurors in the Ministry of Magic through Sirius, as well. Most of them were pretty decent in Harry's eyes, and a few had become like extended family to him—Tonks, Dawlish, Evans, and Kingsley. Kingsley, of course, had been the best of the lot, and Harry felt like he'd lost his uncle when he'd heard the news of the Auror's murder. Sirius hadn't been taking it well at all—Remus said he rarely spoke unless spoken to, and he'd pretty much shut himself out from his friends. He'd written Harry a few times since Kingsley's funeral—which Harry had been allowed to leave school in order to attend—but the letters were always short and dull. Remus also told Harry that Sirius was working so much now that he just slept in his office at the Ministry. He hadn't been drinking much, though, according to Remus, but Harry thought that was only because Remus had very cleverly hidden all the firewhiskey.

The portrait hole to the common room opened, and Fred, George, and their best friend, Lee Jordon, clambered through noisily. Hermione growled menacingly, her hair bushier than ever and giving her the appearance of a rabid lion, and turned to glare at the three seventh year boys.

"Do you mind?" she said through gritted teeth. "Some of us actually _care_ about our futures."

Fred shook his head and smiled fondly at Hermione. "What makes you think we don't care about _our_ futures, my dearest Hermione?"

"Yeah, just because we don't spend hours pouring over books doesn't mean we're not thinking about life outside the magnificent walls of Hogwarts," George added, sitting on Ron's other side.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You are aware you lot have N.E.W.T.s coming up, right?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you look like Remus when you raise your eyebrow like that, Harry?" George said thoughtfully. "And yes, we are aware of our upcoming N.E.W.T.s, Not that they really matter..."

"What do you mean 'they don't really matter'?" Hermione shrieked, causing a few second years to start. "N.E.W.T.s are everything when it comes to getting a job in the wizarding world! If you don't have proper marks, how can you ever expect to get anywhere in life?"

"Calm down, Hermione," Fred said. "They're just not important to us." He shrugged. "We've got another path that's recently laid itself out to us."

"What path?" Ron asked suspiciously. "You're not still on about that joke shop stuff, are you? Mum already said she wasn't going to allow it."

George patted his youngest brother on the head as if he was a rather cute dog. "Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie, you really are clueless, aren't you?"

"It's a rather endearing quality," Fred agreed, nodding. "Yes, Ron we are still on about the joke shop. And we've just made a deal that has set our futures as entrepreneurs in stone."

"What deal?" Harry asked interestedly.

"We'd love to tell you, Harry mate," Fred said with an air of regret.

"But if we did, we'd have to kill you," George added matter-of-factly.

"And if we did that, Sirius would kill us."

"Yes, and Sirius can be quite frightening when he wants to be—I'm sure you'll agree wholeheartedly with that."

"Therefore, we're not going to tell you."

"In fact, we're going to bed. It's been a long, tiring day."

"Don't study too hard."

The twins and Lee left the common room with smirks on their faces and went up to their dormitory, leaving the trio open-mouthed and confused in their wake.

"I don't even want to know," Ron said slowly. "Because if I know, Mum would murder me for not doing something to stop them."

They continued their studying for a few more hours until Ron was heard snoring loudly on top of his History of Magic textbook. Harry said good night to Hermione who grunted in response as she looked over her Transfiguration notes, and helped Ron get up the spiral staircase to their dorm.

* * *

It was nearing midnight in the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, and the house's reluctant owner still hadn't returned from the Ministry. Most of the occupants had been in bed for over an hour, but Remus remained in the kitchen waiting up for Sirius. He'd tried to convince his best friend that it was doing him no good sleeping on the sofa in his office at Auror Headquarters, and had nearly dragged him out of the Ministry. Sirius seemed to find burying himself in his work was a good way to get away from his troubles. Since Kingsley's death two months ago, Sirius had been withdrawn from everything around him. It was understandable; Kingsley and Sirius had been very good friends. But Remus still worried about him. Whenever he visited Auror Headquarters these days, Sirius was always bent over reports or pouring over maps. Remus almost would have preferred his best friend to have gone on a drinking binge to get rid of his problems. At least then he would be at Order Headquarters and Remus could keep an eye on him.

Sirius was under pressure to replace his second-in-command—he refused to do it. There weren't many in the Auror squads that he could honestly say he trusted with his life. Tonks was one of those exceptions, but not only was she very junior in the Ministry, Sirius didn't think she could handle the position at the moment.

The young witch had followed her cousin into a depression. When she wasn't at the Ministry, she was locked up in one of the guest bedrooms at Number Twelve. Normally, she was sent on undercover missions for the Order to search out Death Eaters, but since Kingsley's death, she'd lost control of her Metamorph powers. She couldn't even change her eye color anymore—she was stuck with a grey that closely resembled Sirius' eyes—and her hair had fallen into a droopy, mousy brown. Emmeline had tried to cheer her up on many occasions, but it was doing no good really—

"Oh, sorry... I didn't know anyone was still awake," said a voice from the staircase.

Remus stiffened and tightened the grip around his bottle of butterbeer to the point he nearly broke it. Of all people to come wandering in the kitchen at this time of night, it just had to be her. Just his luck. Slowly, he turned to face her. "What are you doing here?" he asked stiffly, not caring about sounding rude.

Naomi didn't back down from his glare—she'd been receiving them on a regular basis over the last months. "I was just getting a drink," she said quietly.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd left after the meeting," he said coldly.

Tentatively, Naomi descended the remaining stairs to the kitchen. She watched Remus warily as if she was waiting for him to take out his wand and curse her into oblivion. He didn't think that was such a bad idea actually. "Well, I did," she finally answered. "But I came back. I was actually hoping to talk to Sirius. Is he around?"

"No," Remus answered curtly. "What do you want with Sirius?"

She shrugged lamely. "Just to see how he's doing," she muttered.

"Sirius is fine," he said stiffly. She nodded. "I think I'll go to bed. Excuse me." He stood to leave, but she blocked the stairs. "Would you get out of my way, please?" he asked, trying to keep his temper in check. It was quite hard when she stared at him like that.

"Can I talk to you, then?" she asked suddenly.

"We have nothing to talk about."

She bit her lip. "Please? Just for a moment."

Remus rubbed his temples tiredly. He knew she would eventually corner him, wanting to talk, and he'd done his best to avoid her. He ignored her with the best of his ability when he was in the same room with her longer than necessary, and if he couldn't leave right away, he always had someone with him to keep from having to speak with her. Despite the strong feelings of loathing he felt towards her, there were also memories of what they'd once been, and at the moment, those memories were winning the inner battle he found himself fighting. He had to admit that he was actually a bit curious to hear what she had to say to him. Without a word of acknowledgement, he turned back to the table and sat slowly.

She sighed and moved to sit beside him. He didn't look at her, but waited expectantly, thinking that whatever she had to say had better be good. "It's good to see you," she said quietly. His jaw clenched. "I-I've missed you..."

"Naomi, if you wanted to talk about us, don't waste your breath. There is no us. There hasn't been for many years."

"I know," she sighed again. "I just—"

"Why are you here, Naomi?" he asked suddenly. "And I don't just mean right this minute. Why have you come back to the Order?"

"Because I want to help," she answered simply.

He laughed bitterly, finally turning to look at her. "You want to help? Forgive me for saying this, but I don't believe you. Was this one of Voldemort's brilliant plans, you coming back here? Did he tell you to come spy on us?"

"No!" she cried. "Dammit, Remus, this has nothing to do with _him_. I did this on my own. Look, I was wrong. It was the biggest mistake of my life joining him. I should have listened to you when you told me to go to Dumbledore. You were right. Is that what you want to hear, Remus? You were right, I was wrong. Are you happy now?"

Remus shook his head. "No, I'm not," he said. "God, Naomi, do you have any idea how our lives—_your life_—could have been different? I wanted to help you, to save you, and you just ran away like the coward you are. Don't you dare interrupt me," he threatened when she opened her mouth. "For years, I wondered where you were, if you were all right. I didn't sleep for weeks after you left me. I stayed awake thinking about what we _could_ have been. We were two weeks from our wedding, Naomi..."

"I know," she said a bit hoarsely. She looked as if she wanted to take his hand, but thought better of it. "I don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry. I was stupid. I was scared."

"Why did you really join him?"

She sighed. "I don't know," she admitted softly, shaking her head. "I-I'd been talking with Rabastan Lestrange—he's my cousin, you know." He nodded that he knew. "Anyway, Rabastan was telling me how he and Rodolphus had joined the Death Eaters, and how much better they were because of it. I blew him off for months, telling him how full of shit he was and to leave me alone. He came by my house when you were out on that mission for Dumbledore in Sweden. He told me the Dark Lord was looking for recruits—he even tried telling me that _you _hadjoined him. I didn't believe him, of course—I knew you better than that—you'd never do anything like that. But he was adamant. He said the only way you or I would live through the war was if I did something for the Dark Lord. They wanted me to spy on the Order, to pass along information. I refused and told him if he ever came back, I'd go to the Ministry."

"You should have gone to them in the first place," Remus muttered. "Or me at the very least," he added bitterly.

She nodded. "I was stupid—that was my first mistake." She smiled humorlessly. "He left me alone for a while. The next time I heard from the Death Eaters was two weeks before Lily and James were murdered. You'd just left, actually. We were finalizing wedding plans. I thought it was you, at first—maybe you'd forgotten something, but it wasn't you; it was Peter. I let him in, of course; I had no reason not to—as far as I knew, he was still our friend. He looked horrible, Remus, as though he'd been tortured. Well, I found out later that he had. The Dark Lord wanted him to convince me to join the Death Eaters. Peter told me what he'd done." At this she looked disgusted with herself. "He said he'd gotten the Mark a year before. He said—" She choked up a bit, but composed herself quickly. "He said there were big plans for Lily and James. He wouldn't tell me what, but I knew it couldn't be good... He said if I joined the Death Eaters, I could save Lily and James and Harry and you and Sirius... He said it would all end, the war would end, if I just joined. I told him to get the hell out of my house, and he used Cruciatus on me."

"What?" Remus said sharply.

She nodded. "He didn't hold it for long, only a few seconds. I think he was afraid to do it any longer, afraid you'd come back for some reason. God, I wished you would have come back, Remus... But he told me there would be worse consequences if I didn't agree, and he would come back in the next few weeks."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Remus breathed, now unable to look away from her.

"I should have, but I was afraid if I told you what was happening they'd kill you too..."

"We could have saved Lily and James," he muttered painfully.

"He came back," she continued as if she hadn't heard him, "two days before Halloween with Rabastan, Rodolphus, and Bellatrix. By that time, I'd made up my mind. I'd thought Lily and James were safe—they'd gone under the Fidelius charm with Sirius as their Secret-Keeper. The only way I could save you was to join them. They sidelong-Apparated me to their meeting place—the Dark Lord was waiting, and he gave me the Mark."

Remus shook his head disbelievingly. "You could have made everything so much different, for all of us."

"I know," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "God, Remus, I know. There's nothing that haunts me worse than thoughts of what could have—_should have_—happened. I'm sorry I left you, but I had to. They would have found you and killed you, and I couldn't let that happen."

"They killed Lily and James!" Remus tried to shout; it only came out as a hoarse whisper. "And as for me, if you didn't want to see me killed, then where the hell were you when I was being tortured on the full moon in France?"

"I was there," she said in a rush, as if she'd wanted to say this for months. "Right before the full moon. I found out what they were going to do to you, and I went to the last place I heard Hagrid had been. He was with a giant—I have no idea why—but I told him what the Death Eaters were going to do to you. Somehow, he got the giant to chase them out of their camp. When they'd gone, Hagrid and I went to check on you. You were too weak to do anything, but when you realized we were there, you tried to break out of the paddock. I wanted to stay and see if there was anything I could do, but Hagrid made me leave—he said if someone came back and saw I was helping you, they'd kill me on the spot. Hagrid said he would come back in the morning—the giant had run off into the forest, and Hagrid had to go and catch him."

"You were there?" he asked in a strangled whisper.

She took his hands in her own—he let her. "I'm so sorry about everything, Remus," she said softly. "I never wanted to hurt you. I loved you more than anything in the world—I still do, but I know you don't feel anything for me anymore, and I've come to terms with that. I don't blame you for not caring for me one bit; it's my fault you feel that way. I want you to be happy, and every time I see you with Emmeline... Are you happy with her?"

He looked down at their intertwined hands. "Very happy," he said with a small smile. "It's been many years since I was this happy."

She nodded. "I thought as much. I know you'll probably never forgive me for all I've put you through, and I wouldn't deserve your forgiveness even if you did give it to me. But I wouldn't mind at least being your friend again one of these days..."

Remus didn't reply. He didn't know _how _to reply. Naomi had once been a big part of his life, the most important thing in his life. But she'd betrayed his trust, betrayed his love, hidden things from him, and she could have been partly to blame for Lily and James' deaths. How could he get past that?

"Remus," she said softly. He looked up and realized how very close she'd moved to him. He always loved her eyes, he remembered—the mixture of green and brown, but mostly green right now... "Can I kiss you?" she breathed. "Just one last time?"

Before he could stop himself, before he could tell himself that this was the most idiotic thing he could ever do, his lips connected with hers. It only lasted seconds before he pulled away from her. He opened his eyes and sat back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. "I have to go," he said hoarsely. "Good night."

He left her in the kitchen and went up towards the second landing to his bedroom where he found Emmeline walking out the door.

"Hey," she said. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to. Are you okay?" she added at the look on his face.

He nodded a bit stiffly. "Fine," he whispered, unable to look at her. "I just couldn't sleep—waiting for Sirius, you know."

"He's still not back?" she asked concernedly as Remus wrapped an arm around her waist and led her back to her bedroom. "I thought you said he was coming back?"

"Thought he was," Remus muttered, looking anywhere but at her.

She entered her room, but he stood on the threshold staring at the floor. Should he tell her what happened in the kitchen with Naomi? Emmeline came back to where he stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Remus, what's wrong?" she asked, trying to look in his eyes.

He finally looked away from the dusty floor to her eyes. He opened his mouth to tell her everything and to apologize profusely, but he couldn't do it. "Honestly, it's nothing," he said, placing his arms around her waist. "Get some rest, hmm? I'll see you in the morning." Normally, he would have kissed her good night, but he only released her, muttered a half-hearted good night, and went down the hall to his own room. Before he closed the door, he saw her looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a completely confused look on her face.

* * *

Sirius entered Number Twelve just past dawn the next morning. He hadn't intended to come back, but Minister Bones had found out he'd been sleeping in his office, and said that if he didn't leave and get at least eight hours of decent sleep, she'd suspend him from the Ministry without pay.

He staggered exhaustedly up the stairs, hoping to slip into his room without waking anybody. Remus was likely to give him an earful for not returning the previous night, and he really wasn't in the mood for it.

He'd received a transfer request earlier the previous day from an Auror in Australia. Rufus Scrimgeour had been passed-up by Mad-Eye for Sirius' job seven years ago, and as a protest to the appointment, had moved to Australia. Sirius had known Scrimgeour during his first stint in the Ministry before his arrest. While the other wizard was a brilliant Auror, Sirius couldn't stand him. He was too politically oriented and Sirius couldn't think of any benefits for him in returning to England. He'd probably heard about Kingsley's death and was hoping to become Sirius' next second-in-command.

"Fat chance," Sirius muttered to himself, changing into his pajamas.

He glanced into his mirror and wasn't surprised to see how horrible he looked right now. He desperately needed to shave, and his eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Not to mention he hadn't had a decent meal in two weeks. Sighing heavily, he turned from the mirror and staggered to his bed. Lacking even the strength to pull down the blankets, he collapsed into bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Remus poked his head in to check on Sirius later in the morning. He covered Sirius with a throw blanket, charmed the window's curtains to block out all sunlight, leaving the room in total darkness, and placed a silencing charm around the room. Sirius needed lots of rest, and the only way he would sleep all day was if there was nothing to wake him.

"Sleep well, Padfoot," Remus said quietly before closing the door.


	22. Twenty Two

**Warning:** Character death, along with disturbing imagery. Read at your own risk.

* * *

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Two_

The night before Harry's final O.W.L. exam, Sirius, Remus, and Emmeline arrived at Hogwarts. Emmeline wanted to give the fifth year another Occlumency lesson before his last test—she said that the amount of studying Harry should have been doing for his exams could weaken his mind, making it easier for Voldemort to break in. Sirius and Remus accompanied her as security, as well as to wish Harry luck on his last O.W.L.

They sat and waited for Harry outside by the lake. Sirius looked well rested since his return to Number Twelve from the Ministry, though Remus suspected glamour charms had been used. The Auror had looked horrendous upon his return, and Remus didn't think only two nights of rest would have changed his appearance that much.

Neither of them spoke while they waited for Harry—both had too much on their minds, and weren't sure how to form their disoriented thoughts into words. Sirius played with the grass around his feet and stared out at the giant squid. There were so many things going through his mind that he wouldn't be surprised if his brain was no longer anything more than a pile of mush. A steady buzz of noise filled his ears as he tried to think of something else to occupy his mind. Then Remus spoke and his task was accomplished, nearly giving him a heart attack from the shock.

"I kissed Naomi," Remus said, his voice barely audible.

The grass Sirius had in his hand fell to the ground as he struggled to work out what Remus had just said. Once the words were comprehended, Sirius snapped his head around to Remus. The other wizard stared straight ahead. "What?" Sirius sputtered.

"The other night when I was waiting for you to get back, she showed up and we had a long talk. Just before I went to bed, she asked if she could kiss me, and so I kissed her..."

"Oh," Sirius said rather dumbly. "And?"

Remus raised an eyebrow, still staring at the lake. "And what?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "And when you kissed her, was there anything there?"

Remus looked at his best friend thoughtfully for a moment before a small smile crept on his face. "Nothing," he said a bit dreamily. "There was nothing at all..."

Sirius chuckled, thinking he knew where this conversation was heading.

"You know what I kept thinking?" Remus asked. Sirius shrugged. "That she's not Emmeline. I know that's a bit obvious, but I realize now I'm over Naomi."

"You've only just realized that?" Sirius asked.

"Well no, but..." Remus shrugged. "Naomi was my first love, Padfoot, and I know you know how tough that is to get over."

Sirius nodded. "I'm still not over Julia." He smiled sadly. "So does this mean you're going to finally admit that you love Emmeline?"

Remus only smiled and looked back out to the lake. Sirius shook his head knowingly. He'd known for years how much Remus missed Naomi, even if Remus never admitted it aloud. Remus had never been the type to just date on impulse like Sirius—he preferred getting to know somebody before escalating the relationship. Though Sirius wasn't sure just how deep Remus and Emmeline's relationship was—Remus usually kept quiet about those things—he'd heard from a few members of the Order that Emmeline had been spotted leaving Remus' bedroom one morning...

"I need a vacation," said a tired voice behind the two friends. They turned to find Harry grinning at them. The teenager came up and collapsed between them. He leaned his head on Remus' shoulder and sighed. "Please tell me school gets easier after O.W.L.s…"

Sirius laughed. "Do you want me to lie to you?" he asked. Harry rolled his eyes. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Harry raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I'm going to fail Potions," he said with certainty.

"And why is that?" Remus asked patiently, looking down at Harry's head.

"Because Snape hates me," Harry said as if it should have been obvious to his guardians.

Remus hid a smile. "Harry, he's not too fond of us, either, but that doesn't mean you're going to fail Potions."

"Remus, I need an Outstanding to advance to N.E.W.T.s; right now I'm barely getting an Acceptable. I actually got a D on one of my papers that he graded with O.W.L. standards," Harry said flatly, sitting up to stretch and yawn.

"You actually got a Dreadful?" Sirius asked with a laugh. "Wow... Even I never got a Dreadful in Potions. James on the other hand..."

"But Snape wasn't your professor," Harry said defensively.

"And that is something I am thankful for every day." Harry glared at his godfather.

"How are you doing in Defense?" Remus asked, giving Sirius a look that plainly said, '_You're not helping.'_

Harry shrugged. "Fine, I guess. It's not that hard actually," he said, his mood lightening.

"Mad-Eye says you're a natural," Sirius said proudly.

"And he's also said you put on quite a show during one of his defense group meetings," Remus said with a smile. "Sirius and I have been looking forward to seeing your patronus..." he added leadingly.

Harry smiled widely and took the hint. He stood and withdrew his wand from his robes, clearing his throat and glancing back to his guardians who stood from the grass for a better view. Harry thought of the night he'd found out about Remus' return. "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_"

Sirius and Remus' jaws dropped as they saw the shape of Harry's patronus shoot from the tip of the boy's wand. "Prongs..." Sirius breathed wide-eyed, watching the ghost-white stag gallop across the water.

Remus clapped Harry on the back, beaming. "Not bad, Harry," he said quietly. "Not bad at all..."

* * *

Sirius walked through the Department for Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures the following afternoon and nodded hello to a few of the people in their cubicles. Amos Diggory, who seemed to be having a rather frustrating conversation with a goblin, took time out from his work to glare at the passing Auror. Sirius returned the glare with interest. He'd always thought there was something off about Diggory... Ever since the World Cup a few years back when Diggory had insulted Remus, Sirius had less than friendly feelings for the wizard. Sirius suspected Diggory was jealous of Remus' appointment to the head of the department, and told Remus it was because Diggory just didn't have the brains to run a department.

Speaking of Remus, the werewolf was bent over a file, biting his lip. He was muttering under his breath, dictating to a quill that scratched against parchment as he read. Sirius quietly cleared his throat, and the quill dropped to the desk as Remus looked up.

"Hey, come on in," he said, leaning back in his chair and rubbing at his eyes. Sirius closed the door, greeted Remus' grindylow—who bared its teeth at the Auror—and sat across from his best friend. "How's your day going?"

"Well, it's almost over, so I'd say it's going pretty damn well." Sirius grinned. "Actually, I came to ask a favor of you. I sent Tonks home early, she's looking a bit ill again, so we need someone to cover her guard duty over the dentists tonight."

For nearly six months, the Order of the Phoenix had taken it upon themselves to keep watch over Hermione Granger's parents. Their daughter being one of Harry's best friends made her and her family a primary target for the Death Eaters and Voldemort. Arthur usually took most of the watches—he seemed rather fond of Mr. and Mrs. Granger—but Molly had asked him to be home more often as of late.

"What time was she supposed to be there?" Remus asked.

"Nine, to relieve Sturgis," Sirius said. "I'd be more than happy to do it, but I wanted to check if Tonks is all right. She's getting worse, Moony... I'm thinking of giving her a temporary leave of absence, just so she can, you know, grieve or whatever it is she needs to do..."

Remus nodded. "That'd probably do her some good, actually." He sighed. "Yeah, that's not a problem. I'll finish up here, head back to Number Twelve for a bite to eat, and I'll go over there."

"Thanks, I'll let everyone know, then," Sirius said. "Having trouble with the vampires?" he asked, gesturing to the file Remus had open on his desk. A shifty, waxy face bared its fangs at the two wizards. "What is it with things threatening me with their teeth today?" Sirius muttered.

Remus chuckled and looked back down at the file. "Yeah, we're having a bit of problem with them." He sighed. "They're saying there's a shortage on blood—St. Mungo's can't keep enough in stock for the demand. We're a little worried they might start attacking humans it they can't find any."

"I got a report the other day about a few vampires breaking into a Muggle blood bank in Surrey," Sirius said. "I passed it to Emerson, head of the DMLE, to take care of it—I have too much going on to deal with vampires committing misdemeanors. Do you think the shortage has anything to do with Voldemort?"

Remus shrugged. "It's possible. Voldemort's causing every other problem in the wizarding world, why not this one? But the vampires aren't as easy to turn to the dark side as werewolves are, so Voldemort would really have to work to get them. They prefer staying neutral. Even in the first war how many vampire attacks did you hear of?"

"No more than usual... So there's no chance they could have gone over to Voldemort?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's not what I said," Remus responded. "There's always a chance, and I wouldn't be surprised if Voldemort does have a few vampires in his ranks. But the vampires aren't too bothered with rights and all that like the werewolves are. They just don't really care. All they want is available supplies of blood so they don't have to use human prey. Now you have a good point with Voldemort causing the shortage. He'd make them think the Ministry was doing it, and if that's happened, the vampires might go to him. We just need to make sure that doesn't happen."

Sirius nodded. "How do the vampires feel about a werewolf doing all this for them?"

"They're not bothered by it, actually. I was a bit surprised," Remus said. "I'm sure you've heard the stories about vampires and werewolves and how much they despise each other... But I've known a few of them for a while now, since before I came to the Ministry, so for the most part, they're glad I'm here. They know I'll hear them out without prejudice."

"Do you ever work, Sirius?" asked an amused voice from the doorway.

"My dear Emmeline," Sirius said, turning to the witch. "I'm the Head Auror. There's not much for me to do but make sure my teams don't kill themselves." He grinned. "And what about you? Don't you have portkeys or something to authorize?"

Emmeline rolled her eyes but smiled as she crossed the office to sit beside Sirius. "I'll have you know, Mister Black, that I've just returned from Elephant and Castle. Some idiot decided it would be amusing to turn a park bench into a portkey. Three Muggles were transported to the eastern sea coast where they hovered on the bench over the ocean until we could get out there to rescue them." Sirius snorted a laugh and Emmeline playfully swatted him in the arm. "Anyway, we don't think it was Death Eaters, just Muggle baiters looking for a quick, cheap laugh. And if I didn't know any better, Sirius, I'd say you were behind it." She smirked.

"Oy, I take offense to that. Moony, keep your woman in line," Sirius said.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, Padfoot, but I don't think I can do that. If Emmeline wishes to hex you for Muggle baiting, I can't say I'd do more than watch and laugh."

"I see how it is," Sirius said with narrowed eyes. "That's fine, Moony. Let Emmeline abuse me, and just stand there. And here I thought we were friends." He sighed dramatically. "Well, I'll leave you two to plot against me. I've lost yet another to the power of women. First James, now you... I wish you luck, Remus."

Without another word, Sirius stood and left the office. Remus and Emmeline stared at one another for a few moments before they both burst out laughing. "Are you sure he's not drinking on the job?" Emmeline asked after she'd sobered up a bit.

"When it comes to Sirius, I'm not sure about anything..." Remus sniggered.

* * *

Remus Apparated inside an alleyway in Surrey just past nine p.m. He'd had a bit of trouble getting away from Number Twelve—Molly had insisted he eat a fourth helping of dinner before leaving for guard duty. Not to mention Dung showed up right as he'd opened the front door and almost immediately dropped a load of cauldrons he was smuggling, setting off Sirius' dear mother.

Remus rushed out of the alleyway and down a suburban street toward the Grangers' house. He looked up into the sky as he walked and glared slightly at the half moon. The dark sky was a bit overcast tonight, and Remus suspected a wave of thunderstorms to hit soon. He turned a corner and set eyes on the large home that belonged to the two dentists. The Grangers were wonderful people. When the Order had arrived at their home and told them about the decision to guard them against Voldemort, they'd accepted it quite easily and thankfully. Hermione must have told them of the troubles in the wizarding world, because they didn't seem at all surprised by anything the Order had to say.

"Sturgis," Remus whispered to a bush near the front door, usually used as a hiding place for guard duty. "Sturgis, are you here?" The bush remained silent, causing Remus to suspect his fellow Order member had been invited in for tea—the Grangers normally invited them inside towards the end of their shifts.

A cloud moved aside and sickly green light flooded the front yard. With wide, hesitant eyes, Remus looked up to find the Dark Mark set just above the large white house. "Oh dear god," Remus muttered hoarsely, a sickening feeling filling his stomach. He drew his wand and ran to the front door. "_Alohomora,_" he muttered hastily when he realized the door had been locked from the inside.

"Sturgis!" he shouted into the dark house. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger! It's Remus Lupin! Are you all right?" His question was silently answered when a strong smell of blood flooded his nostrils, causing him to gag a bit. He followed the bitter coppery scent to the sitting room and gagged again, nearly losing the four helpings of dinner Molly had made him eat.

Mrs. Granger was in the middle of the floor. It looked as though her throat had been ripped open by some sort of animal. A copious amount of blood was pooled around her body, which had been twisted in many odd angles.

At first, Remus saw no sign of her husband. But upon closer examination, the wizard found an ear on the floor leading to the kitchen. There was even more blood in the kitchen, and this time Remus had to turn around quickly to empty the contents of his stomach. The white walls were stained in deep crimson. The remains of Mr. Granger were scattered around every inch of the kitchen.

"Reductor curse," Remus muttered, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. The Death Eaters seemed to favor this particularly nasty way of murder as of late...

A muffled groan came from the hallway, and Remus spun around to face the door, his wand held tightly at the ready. Cautiously, he made his way to the hall, his eyes wide, his ears perked to hear any sound. He heard the groan again—it was coming from a cupboard under the stairs. He stood in front of the door and pulled it open quickly, pointing his wand inside. He lowered the wand immediately when he saw who was in the shadows of the cupboard.

"Sturgis," he said with relief. The other wizard's eyes snapped opened and he looked around disoriented, pushing himself against the wall of the cupboard.

"Get away!" he muttered wildly, his arms over his head in protection.

"Sturgis, it's Remus, you're all right."

"Re-Remus?" Sturgis responded, slowing lowering his arms and lifting his head. "Oh bloody hell, thank god. De-Death Eaters... They-they killed the G-Grangers... I tried to save them, Remus, but they s-stunned me, and threw me in here."

"It's okay, Sturgis," Remus said soothingly, lighting his wand and kneeling beside the wizard. "They're gone." _At least I hope they are_, Remus added silently. "Come on, let's get you out of here and back to Headquarters. We need to alert the others."

With Remus' help, Sturgis stood and they started out of the house, careful not to look into the sitting room. "G-Greyback..." Sturgis muttered weakly.

"What about him?" Remus asked sharply, a sinking feeling replacing the sickness he felt earlier.

"He was here... He attacked Mrs. Granger."

Remus stopped at the front door and raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean he attacked her? With a wand?"

Sturgis shook his head. "No... he ripped out her throat with his teeth... It was horrible, Remus..."

"I can imagine," Remus said, trying to remain calm. "Can you Apparate?" Again, Sturgis shook his head.

"Didn't think so... All right, take hold of my arm, we'll sidelong-Apparate back."

They arrived in front of Number Twelve and Sturgis immediately fell to his hands and knees, throwing up all over the lawn. Remus patted his back and helped him stand again. Number Twelve appeared before their eyes between its neighbors, and Remus rapped sharply on the door with his wand, leading a stumbling Sturgis inside.

"Here, sit on the stairs," Remus instructed quietly. "I'll get you a glass of Firewhiskey—I think we both need one about now..."

Sturgis sat and leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes tightly. Remus left him and hurried down the stairs. Sirius, Emmeline, Arthur, Molly, Dung, and Tonks were talking over glasses of wine when he stumbled into the kitchen.

"Remus, what are you—" Emmeline said started, standing to meet him.

"The Grangers are dead," he panted. "You've got to get over there..." he added to Sirius.

"Bloody hell..." the Auror said grimly.

"You've got no idea..." Remus replied as Sirius and Tonks stood and went up the stairs.

"Where's Sturgis?" Molly asked quietly as Emmeline made Remus sit.

"Sitting on the staircase. Take him a glass of firewhiskey, he needs it..." Remus muttered, laying his head on the table.

"Was it bad?" Emmeline asked, rubbing circles on Remus' back.

"Horrible," Remus croaked. "Worst thing I've ever seen in my life."

Arthur sighed. "I'll contact Dumbledore. He'll need to tell Hermione..."

* * *

The next morning, Harry and Ron stumbled puffy-eyed out of the portrait hole and made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Their exhaustion from O.W.L. exams had yet to fade, and though they were thrilled exams were finally over, neither could get their minds to think clearly. They muttered about summer plans —apparently, Ron's parents wanted to return to the Burrow; they'd missed their home in the country.

"Wish we could go back to the cottage," Harry muttered miserably as they entered the Hall. "Number Twelve isn't exactly the most cheerful place I've ever been to..."

The two friends sat across from Hermione and Ginny, nodding tired hellos, and began scooping eggs and bacon on their plates. Hermione started to ask George about one of the questions from their exams, but Ron silenced her instantly. "We've already gone through this, 'Mione," the redhead said thickly though his toast. "The bloody exams were bad enough first time 'round and we don't need to go through it again—"

"Oh no," Ginny gasped, pointing to the ceiling of the Great Hall. They all looked up as a flock of owls flew in bringing the morning's post.

The most obvious of the bunch was a brown barn owl with a small, dark purple sash around its chest bearing the Ministry of Magic seal. The whole Great Hall was silenced as the official-looking owl soared lower—they all knew what sort of news that owl was bringing. They'd seen these owls a few times since the beginning of term and the students who'd received them had left school for a few weeks. The owls were delivering news of deaths in families. Time seemed to slow down to a dreadful pace as the owl looked for whom it was delivering to. Sighs of relief broke through the tense silence as the owl passed most of students.

It flew over the Gryffindor table, nearing Harry and his friends, and Ron pushed himself away from the table, falling to the floor, and crawled backwards to press himself against the wall as far from the black letter as possible. The owl dropped the letter in the center of the table, gave a hoot of sympathy, and flew back out of the school again.

The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione stared at the letter for long moments, wide-eyed and pale before Harry reached out a shaking hand to pick it up. He examined the red wax Ministry seal closely, biting his lip.

"Who's it for, Harry?" Ginny asked in a trembling voice when Harry turned the letter over.

His jaw clenched tightly and he looked up, passing the letter over the table to Hermione. "I'm so sorry, Hermione," he said quietly, not wanting to show his selfish relief that Sirius and Remus had not been the ones murdered...


	23. Twenty Three

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Three_

The front door of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place opened silently as Remus practically carried Hermione over the threshold. Sirius, Emmeline, Tonks, Harry, and the entire Weasley family followed after them. They'd just returned from the funeral of Hermione's parents. Her father's casket had been closed and empty, save the small bits of his body that could be salvaged from his home. Her mother had required a closed casket as well—Healers had attempted to fix her mutilated neck enough for the funeral, but it had proved futile—Greyback's attack on her was far too horrible to allow the casket to remain open. Hermione's remaining family had been told that the two dentists were murdered at random by thugs—the truth would never have been believed by Muggles.

Emmeline tapped Remus on the shoulder as he made to take Hermione to the kitchen and gestured that she would take the grieving girl upstairs to put her to bed. "Hermione," Remus said softly, rubbing the young witch's shoulder. "I need you to go with Emmeline now, alright? She'll get you settled upstairs and give you a sleeping draught if you'd like."

Hermione nodded into her former professor's chest and removed her arms from around his waist. She'd attached herself to him just after the funeral when he'd offered to Apparate her back to Headquarters. Emmeline smiled softly at the girl and helped her up the stairs. Ron, Ginny, and Harry said they would go sit with her. Fred and George followed. The adults went into the drawing room and collapsed into armchairs and the sofa. When Emmeline returned fifteen minutes later, she sat between Sirius and Remus, and laid her head on Remus' shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, pulling her close.

Remus hadn't had a good night's sleep since he'd found the Grangers four nights earlier—apparently, neither had Sturgis Podmore; he felt guilty for not being able to save Hermione's parents and hadn't been heard from since that night. No one could figure out why the Death Eaters hadn't killed Podmore as well. Perhaps Greyback wanted him to report to the Order about what a werewolf could do, regardless of the moon's phase. It made Remus sick to his stomach to think that he would be associated with the attack, even though he'd never done anything remotely like that in his life.

"What's going to happen to Hermione?" Bill asked quietly, watching his mother sob into his father's chest.

"She has a sister, doesn't she?" Remus asked hoarsely.

Molly lifted her head from Arthur's chest. "No, she's an only child," she said before bursting into tears again.

"Oh," Remus said. "I thought she had a sister..." he muttered. He looked to the floor with a furrowed brow before shaking himself from his thoughtful daze.

"Hermione can stay with us," Sirius said quietly. "That way we can keep an eye on her. Harry said most of her family lives in France. If she went out there, she'd have to transfer to Beauxbatons... I mean, it's up to her, of course, but it's a suggestion..."

* * *

Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Mad-Eye arrived later in the day to bring the school trunks the kids had left behind. The kids had left Hogwarts the afternoon they'd received news about Hermione's parents, and there hadn't been much of a chance to pack; they'd all been too busy trying to comfort Hermione.

Dumbledore agreed with Sirius' suggestion to have Hermione stay in Order Headquarters if she desired, much to Sirius' shock—it was rare that Headmaster and Head Auror agreed fully on anything.

"If Hermione wishes to live with one of her relatives in France," Dumbledore said, "it will be her decision. But for the time being, I believe it would be best for her and her safety to remain under the watchful eye of the Order."

"Why would You-Know-Who want to kill her parents, though?" Charlie asked. "It's senseless."

Sirius snorted humorlessly. "Everything Voldemort does or has done is senseless, Charlie. Don't you remember what he did at St. Mungo's a year and a half ago? Half the people there were already sick, and the rest were Healers or nurses..." His eyes glazed over a bit and he looked away from the others. Remus reached over and squeezed his shoulder in comfort, knowing he was thinking of Hestia Jones.

"Not to mention what they did to Kingsley," Emmeline said quietly.

Sirius shook his head. "Kingsley was killed because he was my second-in-command. Voldemort knew how close Kingsley and I were, and I'd bet anything that's why the Death Eater was waiting for him to come home that night."

Remus sighed. "Sirius, we've been over this... Kingsley's death was not your fault."

Sirius just shrugged and stared at the floor, picking at a hole in the arm of the sofa.

"Why didn't Snape or Naomi tell us the Death Eaters were planning on attacking the Grangers?" Arthur asked.

"I asked Severus the very same question, Arthur," Dumbledore said. "Neither he nor Naomi had been aware of the plans. Lord Voldemort normally informs Naomi of all plans of attack. The Grangers were a random murder by Fenrir Greyback and Bellatrix Lestrange."

"What a lovely combination," Sirius muttered sarcastically. "The world's most vicious werewolf and the world's most psychotic Death Eater. Who could ask for anything more?"

"So basically what you're saying, Albus," Remus said quietly, "is that Greyback and Bellatrix were bored and decided to have fun with the Muggles?"

"Precisely," Dumbledore said somberly. "Lord Voldemort's followers have proved many times in the past that brutal murders mean nothing to them. I believe the fact that their victims just happened to be parents of one of Harry Potter's best friends was something of a bonus for them."

* * *

Harry and Ron perched awkwardly on the desk in Hermione and Ginny's room, watching Ginny hold a sobbing Hermione on one of the twin beds. Hermione hadn't stopped crying for days—Harry was amazed at how many bodily fluids his friend had lost over the last few days, but knew better than to say anything about it. He felt horrible for Hermione. He hadn't known his own parents before they'd been killed, but he was positive he'd be a crying mess if Sirius or Remus was murdered.

There was a soft knock at the door and Remus poked his head inside, gesturing for Harry to come out into the hallway with him. Ron patted him on the back as he slid to the floor to go to his guardian. "What's up?" Harry asked as he closed the bedroom door.

"How's Hermione?" Remus asked quietly.

Harry shrugged hopelessly. "Same as ever... How long can she cry like that, d'you reckon?"

Regardless of the circumstances, Remus' lips twitched at the question. "You'd be surprised. Your mother went on for a week when her parents died. Of course, she was pregnant with you at the time, so I think her emotions might have been a bit heightened."

Harry sighed. "I want to help her, but I really don't know what to do..."

"Just be there for her," Remus said gently. "I can say from experience that it helps to have your friends nearby, even if you don't feel like talking to them. It's comforting just to know your friends are around, just in case." Harry nodded. "The reason I came up here is because Sirius, Emmeline, and I have to make a trip to Diagon Alley for a few things. We'll be back in an hour or two. Molly and Arthur will be here if you need anything."

"Kay," Harry said, not bothering to ask if he could go with them. The three of them were probably going to take care of Order business during their outing as well. "Hey, Remus," Harry called as his surrogate uncle started back towards the stairs. Remus turned and raised his eyebrows in question. "Ron said something about him and his family going back to the Burrow. Is it really safe enough for them to go back?"

Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, no, not really, but there aren't many safe places left anymore. If they do go back to the Burrow, which I think they will, Dumbledore's said he would take care of wards and such. Besides, I think Molly's getting a bit antsy here; it is a bit cramped with everyone who's moved in over the past few months." Harry didn't look too convinced about the Weasleys' safety. "They'll be fine, Harry," Remus said softly. "And look at it this way: if the Weasleys do go back to the Burrow, perhaps Sirius and I can look into us going back to the cottage."

"Yeah?" Harry asked hopefully.

Remus smiled. "I'm not promising anything, but we'll see. I've got to be going. You go help take care of Hermione and make sure Fred and George don't blow up Headquarters, hmm?"

* * *

Diagon Alley was deserted.

Not one witch or wizard walked down the semi-littered cobblestone walkways. Since the news of Greyback's attack on the Grangers, the wizarding community felt it safer to remain in their homes rather than spend their days in a public setting. But as Sirius had said upon walking through the stone archway, even in their homes, they weren't guaranteed safety.

Emmeline sighed, shaking her head sadly as she looked around the once overcrowded shopping area. "I haven't seen it like this since those trolls came through in the first war," she said quietly as she walked between Sirius and Remus.

"It wasn't even this bad when Voldemort first came back," Sirius agreed. "You'd think that was when people would have wanted to stay at home, but no, it takes a mad werewolf to run them off..."

"Where to first?" Remus asked uncomfortably, wanting to get off the subject of Greyback.

"I was going to say Quality Quidditch Supplies, but it looks as thought they've shut down, doesn't it?" Sirius said as they passed the shop. The window that once held the newest broomstick models had been boarded up, and a small sign on the door informed them that the owners had gone on holiday. "Probably to America for the World Cup," Sirius muttered enviously.

Emmeline rolled her eyes, and turned to Remus. "Molly said she needed a few things from the Apothecary and Arthur wanted us to pick up some mulled mead from the Leaky Cauldron."

"That'll make Tom happy," Remus said. "Did you see the look he gave us when we said we were just passing through?" The others nodded. "I was thinking we could pick up a few books for Hermione, in case she feels up to reading."

"Moony, if that girl is anything like you, that's all she's going to want to do for the next few months," Sirius said.

"James was the same way after his parents were murdered," Remus recalled. "He didn't want to do anything except study and go to Prefect meetings—and the only reason he did that was because he was Head Boy and Lily made him."

The afternoon progressed without difficulty (unless you counted Sirius trying to buy a book on spells useful for pranking) until the three friends made to leave Diagon Alley. Emmeline and Remus carried their purchases while Sirius kept his hand wrapped tightly around his wand. Even though there was nobody in the alley, Sirius' adopted paranoia from Mad-Eye kept him vigilant. His eyes darted around the boarded up shops, behind rubbish cans, and even on the tops of buildings.

"I never knew you took your job so seriously, Sirius," Emmeline teased.

"And if you make the joke I know you are about to make, I will be forced to hurt you, Padfoot," Remus said lightly.

Sirius was about to reply when his eyes locked on a tall hooded figure walking swiftly down the steps into Knockturn Alley. He watched with narrowed eyes as the person stopped, looked over its shoulder, and leaned against a wall.

"Sirius, are you coming?" Remus asked.

For the briefest second, Sirius looked ahead of him and saw Remus and Emmeline preparing to go back through the stone archway into the Leaky Cauldron. "In a minute..." he muttered, watching the person in Knockturn Alley suspiciously.

Somebody from behind him rammed hard into his shoulder, nearly knocking him to the ground. "Watch it, Black," an unfamiliar voice sneered.

Sirius rubbed his shoulder, glaring at the wizard who was now following the other's footsteps into Knockturn Alley. The first hooded figure greeted the new arrival with a hug and the hood fell to its shoulders. Long blonde hair fell across a witch's back as she turned to glare at Sirius before walking off arm-in-arm with the wizard. "Narcissa...?" Sirius muttered in confusion.

The man she'd greeted had shoulder length brown hair and an air of snootiness about him. If he was a member of a pureblood family, it was one Sirius had never seen before. And he was sure Narcissa wouldn't meet with anything less than a pureblood.

"Who was that?" Remus asked. Sirius pulled his eyes from the pair who'd disappeared around a corner and saw that Remus had also taken out his wand, the bags he'd been carrying lying forgotten at his feet. "Thought he was going to tackle you; he came up behind you pretty fast..."

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know who he was, but if he's meeting my cousin, it can't be good. Let's get back to Headquarters."

* * *

There was an Order meeting that night, and Sirius showed no reluctance in sharing what he'd seen in Diagon Alley with the others. Nobody seemed too concerned with the wizard who'd greeted Narcissa Malfoy except Sirius and Dumbledore.

"It is curious," Dumbledore said, "that our mystery wizard is greeting Lucius Malfoy's wife with a hug."

"Maybe she went and got herself a boyfriend," Elphias Doge suggested. "Malfoy's been on the run from the Ministry and Sirius for what, almost ten years now? She's bound to have moved on..."

Sirius shook his head. "No... In a pureblooded marriage, even if the husband disappears off the face of the earth, the wife can't just move on. Only if Malfoy was killed, which I would be glad to take care of, could Narcissa be with someone else. There's some sort of binding spell that's cast when purebloods from really old families marry. Not all pureblood families use it; I know James' family didn't have anything like that going on, and I don't think Emmeline's did, either... Anyway, I couldn't tell you anything about the spell since I've never been married, and I'd never allow anything like that to be cast between my wife and me. I do know it's unbreakable, though."

"So what would happen if Narcissa did get a new boyfriend with Malfoy still out there?" Remus asked interestedly.

Sirius shrugged. "Knowing the families as I do, she'd probably die a rather painful, messy death."

"Does the spell work both ways?" Emmeline asked. "Like if the husband gets a mistress?"

Sirius grinned darkly. "You're pureblooded, Emmeline, what do you think? My father had many mistresses flocking him; he even introduced a few to Regulus and me when we were kids. But Mother remained true to him. So no, it doesn't go both ways."

"Sirius has a point," Dumbledore said. Sirius looked proud of himself. "If the wizard Narcissa Malfoy was meeting today is romantically involved with her, we would be aware in one form or another. However, it will do us no good to ignore the peculiarity of this. Polyjuice Potion may also be a factor—"

"You think it's Malfoy?" Sirius asked before he could stop himself. Remus slapped him the back of his head automatically for his interruption.

"It is possible, Sirius," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling slightly in amusement. "Perhaps you can assign a few of your Aurors to keep watch on Malfoy Manor once again, and Knockturn Alley as well. Madam Bones has been concerned about the goings on in Knockturn Alley, at any rate." Sirius nodded that he would do as asked.

Dumbledore started to continue, but he was once again interrupted. Naomi flew down the stairs, startling everyone at the table. "Giants..." she panted. "Diagon Alley... On their way into London..."

Dumbledore's blue eyes widened just a bit before he gave Sirius a look that plainly told him to gather his Aurors and get to London immediately. Sirius pulled Tonks from her seat where she'd been staring off into the fire, and dragged her up the stairs. Along with the Aurors, Dumbledore sent Arthur, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Sturgis Podmore, and Bill and Charlie Weasley. Remus made to follow them, but the Headmaster gestured for him to remain at Headquarters. The werewolf furrowed his brow in confusion as the headmaster left the kitchen.

"Come on," Emmeline said quietly as Molly handed Naomi a goblet of cold water. "Let's see if we can't get this map of yours working..."

* * *

Just as he was about to send a stunner at a giant's legs, Sirius dived to knock a Muggle woman out of the way of another giant's foot. Without waiting for the woman to finish stumbling over her thanks, the Head Auror scrambled off the sidewalk and back into the battle.

"DAWLISH!" he yelled as the third giant knocked over a lamppost onto a car as if it was a toothpick. The other Auror dodged a tree trunk thrown by one of the giants and ran to Sirius' side. "We need to get everybody together and cast a Confundus charm at their eyes—it's the only way they're going to get them. Once that's done have everyone cast a tripping jinx. They're going to fall and they're going to fall hard... Why are you looking at me like that?" Sirius asked irritably when Dawlish just stared at him.

"A tripping jinx?" the other Auror asked incredulously. "Are you mad?"

"Don't bloody second guess me, Dawlish! Just do it!" Sirius yelled.

Dawlish muttered, "Sure, boss," and ran to gather the other Aurors and Order members that had arrived. Five minutes later, they all stood in a line, spread into three teams, one team for each giant. Sirius shouted, "NOW!" and at least fifty voices cried out, "_CONFUNDUS!_" followed immediately with the incantation for the tripping jinx. As Sirius expected, the giants began to fall, and hard. One stumbled into a building, causing it to crumble under the weight, roaring in protest; another fell straight forward—Sirius yanked Tonks and another Auror out of the way by their robes just in time; the third giant staggered a bit, clawing at its eyes, but remained standing.

"Stunners on three!" Sirius shouted to the group. He'd only got to the count of two when something that looked like a car door was thrown past him, cutting deeply into his chest and shoulder. Tonks cried out, "THREE!" and dozens of red jets of light hit the giant in various places of its body. The final giant fell harder that the other two—it was at least ten feet taller than the others—and a large cloud of dust and dirt flooded the London street, blinding the Aurors and Order members.

Coughing and sputtering, Sirius grasped at his shoulder as someone accidentally fell into him, trying not to cry out in pain. Blood was flowing freely from the injuries—Sirius hadn't known he had that much blood...

Somebody, probably Dumbledore, informed the Head Auror that the Obliviators and Control of Magical Creatures departments had arrived on the scene. "I'm going to Apparate us back to Number Twelve, Sirius," Dumbledore said quietly. "Keep your eyes open..."

Sirius blinked twice and the scene around him changed. They were now standing just outside of Order Headquarters. Sirius felt dizzy and disoriented, and he wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep. Before he fell to the ground, the old Headmaster (_Not nearly as frail as he looks,_ Sirius thought vaguely) caught him by his uninjured arm and helped him inside. He fell to his knees just inside the door, unable to remain standing any longer, with or without Dumbledore's help. As his eyes closed, he saw Remus rushing to him looking pale and worried.


	24. Twenty Four

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Four_

Many members of the Order of the Phoenix crowded around Sirius' bed, waiting for the Auror's color to return. He'd lost a lot of blood earlier in the night after a freak accident involving a car door during the giant attack in London. Luckily for him, Dumbledore had Apparated them back to Headquarters before it was too late to save him. Molly was able to get a blood replenishment potion into his system—she'd stocked up only a week before.

Remus leaned tiredly against one of the bed's wooden posters while Emmeline rubbed his back in comfort—he was already feeling the drain of the upcoming full moon, and this just added to his exhaustion. The blood Sirius had lost was probably still marking the path from the front door to the bedroom, though Emmeline had half-heartedly attempted to clean it up with her wand as she'd followed Remus and Dumbledore through the halls to Sirius' room.

The bedroom door opened and Remus could clearly hear Harry's demands to see his godfather from the hallway. Charlie entered the room quickly and closed the door.

"Remus, he's not letting this go," said the second eldest Weasley son.

"He has no reason to be in here!" Molly said in a harsh whisper from beside Sirius' head. "Sirius needs his rest. Harry can wait until tomorrow."

Remus raised an eyebrow, barely holding back the urge to ask Molly when she'd become Harry's mother. "Let him in, please, Charlie," the wizard said calmly.

Charlie opened the door again and was pushed to the side as Harry forced his way in. He stood at the foot of Sirius' bed, in front of Remus. The older wizard placed his hands on Harry's shoulders and the boy leaned back into his chest. "Sirius is fine," Remus said quietly, placing his chin on Harry's head. "He's just lost a lot of blood..."

Harry nodded slowly, not looking away from his godfather's pale face. "Were there really giants in London?" he whispered.

Remus nodded, ignoring the look Molly was giving him. "Three of them," he confirmed.

"Did anyone die?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Remus opened his mouth to answer, but Molly cut him off. "That's quite enough, Remus," she whispered firmly. "He doesn't need to know all that."

Remus lifted his head from Harry's, still keeping a close grasp on the boy. "With all due respect, Molly, I'm only telling him what he'll read in the papers tomorrow. Besides, the last I checked, Sirius and I were Harry's guardians..." he trailed off mildly—the _and you're not_ was implied silently.

Molly looked hurt and was about to reply when Sirius groaned loudly. The Auror opened his eyes a bit and smacked his lips together as if he was thirsty—Arthur helped him sip some water from a goblet. "Bloody 'ell," he muttered hoarsely. "Wha' 'appened?" Sirius blinked a few times and shook his head a bit as if clearing it. "Oh... Giants... Right... Never mind." He took another sip of water. "Anyone dead?" he asked flatly to the room in general.

Molly shot him a reproachful look for posing his question the way he did, but Tonks answered. "Ten Muggles, three wizards, and one Auror..."

"Who?" Sirius asked hastily, his eyes wide.

"Evans," the young witch said quietly.

Sirius closed his eyes tightly and sighed heavily. "Has his family been notified?" Tonks replied in the affirmative. "And the giants?"

"Are being shipped back to the mountains as we speak," Remus said quietly.

Sirius made to ask another question when he spotted Harry. "Why aren't you in bed?" he asked his godson.

Harry shrugged. "I was until I heard Remus and Dumbledore coming up the stairs muttering about how horrible you looked..."

"Sorry about that," Remus muttered. "Why don't you get back to bed now? You can see Sirius in the morning." Harry looked as if he was going to argue, but the look on Remus' face coupled with Molly's expression stifled his arguments. He waved good night to Sirius and the other members of the Order and left the room. Remus cast a silencing charm around the door and turned back to the others.

"I was going to say that I guess Hagrid's trip didn't do much of anything, did it?" Sirius said.

Arthur sighed. "Hagrid owled just after we left, apparently. He's back at Hogwarts now, and no, his negotiations with the giants didn't go well at all."

Sirius furrowed his brow in thought. "Remus, didn't Naomi tell you that Hagrid was in France at the same time as you?"

Remus averted his eyes from Emmeline's raised eyebrows. "Er, yes... but no one's sure where he went afterwards."

"Hmm..." Sirius said. "It's kind of odd, isn't it? Why did Hagrid take so long getting back?"

"Dumbledore said he wasn't alone," Arthur said. "Something about a half-brother twice Hagrid's size..."

* * *

Next afternoon, though his health had returned fully, Sirius wasn't allowed to leave his bed, per Molly. The Auror was forced to endure hours of coddling by the Order's mother hen while everyone else got to go on with their days.

Emmeline noticed early in the day that Remus was distancing himself from her. She couldn't think of any reason he would do this, and when she confronted him about it, he denied he'd been avoiding her during work that day. When she'd gone to meet him for lunch in the Ministry cafeteria, Charlie Weasley had told her Remus had already eaten. When she'd gone to his office, he claimed he was too busy with the giant problem to speak with her, though she'd clearly seen him staring at his grindylow before entering the office. She knew when she was being avoided...

Giving up on Remus for the time being, Emmeline went to Sirius when she returned to Headquarters from the Ministry that evening. Those two told each other everything, she figured, and Sirius was the one to let it slip that Remus talked with Naomi in the first place. Emmeline trusted Remus completely, but she didn't trust his ex-fiancée. She'd seen the way Naomi looked at Remus during Order meetings, and Emmeline knew the Death-Eater-turned-spy would, at some point, try to get Remus back.

But Sirius was no help. He obviously knew something, but also knew he'd screwed up and would be in loads of trouble with his best friend if he told Emmeline anything. So he played dumb, telling Emmeline he had no idea what she was on about. Emmeline rolled her eyes and glared at the Auror. Sirius fidgeted under her stare for long minutes, still claiming she was imagining things.

"Sirius, all I want to know is what Remus and Naomi talked about, that's it," Emmeline said exasperatedly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What's the matter, Emmeline, are you jealous?" Sirius said with his best mischievous grin.

Again, Emmeline rolled her eyes. "No, I'm not jealous, but the way everybody's avoiding the bloody question is really rather unnerving," she said.

Sirius sighed. "Fine," he said reluctantly. "Fine, I'll tell you. But before I do, I want you to know that Remus really, really cares for you..." Emmeline nodded that she knew. "He and Naomi had a rather long chat that night he was waiting for me to come back from the Ministry. I don't know all the details, but I know they talked about why she left him, that kind of stuff..." He trailed off, remembering what Remus said had happened before he left the kitchen. He averted his eyes from Emmeline, knowing she was an accomplished Legilimens.

"He kissed her...?" Emmeline breathed, wide-eyed.

"Shit," Sirius muttered, realizing he'd averted his eyes a second too late. "Emmeline, believe me, Naomi means nothing to him. He told me there's nothing between them. Hell, he told me when he kissed her he was thinking about you, and—"

Emmeline's jaw dropped open—apparently that wasn't what she wanted to hear... "Okay," Emmeline said a moment later in forced calm. "Rest well, Sirius. See you..."

Sirius tried to call after her, but she'd already gone halfway down the hall. She stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Remus coming up the stairs talking quietly with Harry. He hadn't noticed her in the shadows of the dark hallway, sending him a death glare. She turned around and went to her own room, determined not to cry or yell at Remus in front of Harry.

* * *

"You. did. what?" Remus asked in a growl to Sirius.

The Auror pointed a stern finger at him. "Don't you go blaming me for this, Remus! First of all, the woman's a bloody Legilimens. Second of all, you should have told her all this from the beginning! I guarantee she's more upset that you didn't tell her what happened with Naomi than the fact that it actually happened."

Remus sat heavily on Sirius' bed and fell back against his best friend's legs, covering his face with his hands. "Why did this have to happen just before the full moon?" he groaned.

"Because you're just that lucky," Sirius said, earning a hard punch in his kneecap.

* * *

When the two friends made their way to dinner that night, the only thing on Remus' mind was the hope of Emmeline being there so he could explain about Naomi—she hadn't been in her bedroom when he'd checked. Unfortunately for him, he was nearly positive that no matter what he said to her, he'd be in loads of trouble.

The kitchen was in a state of depression. Hermione was rubbing at her eyes, and Remus and Sirius were sure they'd seen a few tears fall into her mashed potatoes. Ron and Harry sat on either side of her, Ron rubbing her back every few minutes in attempted comfort. Harry shrugged helplessly at his guardians. Across from the trio sat Mad-Eye and Tonks. The witch still had a deep, sad frown on her pale face, and Mad-Eye was saying she needed to eat in a low, gruff growl. Tonks ignored him.

"Molly," Remus said quietly, accepting the plate of food the witch handed him. "Have you seen Emmeline?"

Molly was busy making sure everyone had a plate of food. "What, dear? Oh yes, she left about an hour ago. She said she had some business to take care of at home. Took all of her things, now that I think about it. Now, sit, sit, eat," Molly said, pushing Remus towards the table.

He set his plate on the table, muttered that he suddenly wasn't hungry to Sirius, and left the kitchen hurriedly.

* * *

Sirius and Harry were enlisted to do dishes that night. Harry had tried to go after Remus during dinner, but his godfather had grabbed his arm, muttering that Remus had some things to deal with, though he wouldn't say what.

"So what did Remus do to Emmeline?" Harry asked quietly as he took a plate from Sirius to dry.

Sirius glanced at him sideways. "What makes you think Emmeline's got anything to do with it?"

"Well," Harry began slowly. "Ron and I saw her practically run out of here in tears, and Remus asked where she was at dinner..."

"Smart kid," Sirius muttered. Harry wasn't sure it was a compliment. "Well, okay. Remus did something a bit stupid, and I accidentally let that stupid thing slip to Emmeline."

"What did he do?" Harry asked, no longer pretending to dry dishes.

"Kissed his ex-fiancée," Sirius said quietly, making sure no one was listening in. Harry's jaw dropped. "There's a lot more to it, but our dear professor had a bit of loss of sense..."

"Did they break up?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think Remus got a chance to talk to her, but if she took all her things... Well, it's not looking too good, is it?"

Harry sighed. "I like Emmeline. She's good for Remus, you know?"

Sirius nodded. "She's been great for him. I haven't seen him so happy in years. I just hope he's able to fix it before it gets too nasty."

* * *

Remus Apparated into Emmeline's backyard, knowing she was there—lights were on in the sitting room and one of the upstairs rooms. He gulped hard and walked through the grass to knock on the backdoor. "Emmeline!" he called when he heard footsteps approach the door. "Emmeline, please open the door. I need to talk to you."

The door opened reluctantly and Emmeline revealed herself, staring a bit coldly at Remus. He shivered at the look. "What do you want?" she asked in a shaky voice.

He reached out a hand to touch her arm, needing the comfort of physical contact right now; she took a step back out of his reach and his arm fell lamely to his side. "I'm so sorry," he said croakily.

She only raised her eyebrows. "What for?"

Remus closed his eyes and took in a shaky breath. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, but he hadn't imagined it would be _this_ not-easy. If only she'd meet his gaze, then maybe she would understand... "I should have told you what happened with Naomi and me ages ago," he told her quietly, only now realizing the night was unseasonably cold. "But I just..." He looked away briefly, hoping to find the words to make this right again.

Emmeline deflated just a touch. "Why didn't you?" she whispered, leaning against the doorjamb.

With a heavy sigh, Remus opened his mouth, having no idea what was going to come out when the words found their way, but really, what else did he have to lose at this point? "I was afraid," he told her softly, looking directly into her brown eyes. She looked away after several silent moments. "You terrify me, Emmeline."

Her eyebrows rose higher and her eyes widened. "I beg your pardon?" she said in surprise.

He managed a short laugh, realizing the irony of his statement—if anybody in this relationship was terrifying, it was the werewolf. "The way you make me feel terrifies me," he elaborated softly. "For close to sixteen years, I've not let myself close enough to anybody that anything but friendship was at stake. I've focused solely on my family, on Sirius and Harry, and their happiness. I wasn't looking for a relationship or for love; I'd resigned myself that I'd lost my chance when Naomi walked out of my life. And then you walked into my life out of nowhere, and I started thinking things, feeling things that I thought I'd never have again. I started to fall for you far too quickly than what was good for me. As far as I was concerned, we were only friends. And that was fine with me, for the time being. When I came back from France, you were there and you were the one person I knew would understand about what I'd been through."

He thought her eyes had softened at some point during his speech, but her arms remained crossed, her jaw tensed.

He smiled a little and met her eyes again. "When you kissed me in the library on Christmas Eve, everything rushed at me so much faster than I thought it possibly could. I started thinking about a future with you and me, and it made me happier than I'd been in so very long. And that terrified me, because I knew one wrong move and I'd lose you, just like I lost Naomi."

Her brow furrowed. "You blame yourself for what she did?" she asked slowly.

He averted his eyes. "The point is, I was afraid to do anything that might cause me to lose you. That night in the kitchen with Naomi..." He shook his head despairingly. "The second it happened, I realized I'd messed up, that I'd jeopardized what had so very quickly become the best thing to ever happen to me. And I wanted to tell, you, Emmeline, more than you know..."

"Then why didn't you?" she asked through clenched teeth, her brown eyes filling up with tears he longed to brush away.

"I didn't want to you lose you," he told her imploringly. "Whatever you think right now, Emmeline, my feelings for Naomi are long gone. _You_ are the one I care about. _You_ are the one I'm in love with. _I can't lose you."_ He was aware his tone was bordering on begging, but at this point, he didn't care anymore.

"It's a little too late for that, Remus," Emmeline said softly. "I appreciate your honesty, but..." Her mouth opened and closed a few times, nothing ever coming out. She shook her head. "It's just not good enough right now. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to be in to work early tomorrow, and I don't have the time or the energy to deal with this."

"Can we have lunch tomorrow, or dinner, anything?" Remus pleaded.

"I don't think so," Emmeline said. "I need some time to think. Until then, I'd appreciate it if you didn't come back here."

"Emmeline, please!" Remus begged as she closed the door in his face. He rested his forehead against the door, wanting to knock again, but thinking better of it; she wasn't going to listen to anything he said right now. He suddenly realized how exhausted the evening had made him. And it was probably best for both of them that they spent some time alone with their thoughts. With a deep breath that he let out slowly, wondering how close to the backdoor she was stood, he took several steps back.

"Goodnight, Emmeline," he said softly before Apparating back to Headquarters.

* * *

The full moon brought yet another first for Remus, Sirius, and Harry. Since Harry's success in becoming an Animagus, he'd been begging his guardians to let him spend a full moon with them. Remus had been dead set against it—though he had the Wolfsbane Potion, he feared something would happen and he'd hurt Harry. Sirius was different; he had been spending full moons with Remus for years, and knew how to handle the werewolf. Remus said Harry's Animagus form was small, and the wolf could accidentally swallow him or something. Sirius insisted Harry would be fine; Padfoot could protect him. He even brought up the fact that Wormtail was small, and he'd spent every full moon with them at school—and Remus hadn't had the potion then. Remus' resolve weakened along with his energy as night approached, so Sirius pointed out that if Moony got out of hand, Harry could just fly on top of a wardrobe for safety.

"Alright, already," Remus said hoarsely, leaning his head tiredly against the back of the sofa in the library. "Harry can come in tonight, but if anything happens, I want him out. Do you both understand?"

Sirius and Harry, who sat on the coffee table in front of Remus, nodded eagerly and Harry hugged the exhausted werewolf tightly in thanks. Professor McGonagall arrived twenty minutes later with Remus' last dose of Wolfsbane and wished him luck. The small family was careful not to mention that Harry was about to spend a night with them—they kept the fact that the underage wizard was an Animagus a secret. The only person who knew was Dumbledore. He'd known the moment Ron and Harry were busted in their dorm for catching half the furniture on fire two years before.

"Cheers," Remus muttered weakly to his family before gulping down the disgusting potion. Just before sunset, he stood with Sirius' help and went to the bedroom. "I don't want him to see me transform, Sirius," Remus said quietly but firmly. "Wait until I've transformed before you let him in, and make _him_ transform before you even open the door."

Sirius nodded as they entered Remus' room. "Anything you want, Moony. We'll be back soon."

* * *

Sirius and Harry stood outside Remus' closed door, waiting for the muffled howls of pain to subside. Remus always placed strong silencing charms around his room so the other occupants of the house wouldn't be disturbed, but his cries were still very loud. Harry stared wide-eyed and fearfully at the door. He was shaking a bit. Sirius placed an arm around his shoulder. "He'll be fine," he assured his godson. "He's been doing this for many years, and he knows how to handle it." Harry nodded unsurely. "Are you nervous?"

Harry shrugged. "A bit. Weren't you when you first spent the night with him?"

Sirius laughed. "Are you kidding? Your dad and I were shaking ten times worse than you, and I think Peter actually wet himself at least twice..."

Harry smiled shakily. They waited until they heard a soft whimper and saw a shadow of a nose at the bottom of the door. "Alright, transform and fly up on my shoulder," Sirius instructed. "When we get inside, go up to the wardrobe and stay there until I signal it's okay to come down."

Harry did as he was told, and Sirius smiled at him, gently running a long finger over the black lightning bolt shaped feather on Harry's tiny back. "I still say that's bloody wicked..." The wizard carefully opened the door just enough for him to slip through and closed it quickly so the werewolf couldn't sneak out. Harry immediately flew on top of the wardrobe—Moony watched him with what could have been perceived as hunger in his eyes. Sirius knew it was interest and not a little worry.

Sirius transformed into Padfoot and sat patiently in front of Moony, his tongue hanging out in a grin. Moony looked from the black dog to the golden snidget in interest before moving his eyes in what could be considered an eye roll. He barked softly and went to a corner of the room, sitting down to show Padfoot he didn't want to hurt the little bird. Padfoot looked at where Harry was perched on the wardrobe and nodded. Carefully, the golden bird flew down and landed beside the dog. He slowly approached Moony on his little stick legs after Padfoot nudged him gently with his black nose. The werewolf bent his head to sniff the bird and licked him, knocking Harry a few feet back. Padfoot made a laughing sound at the indignant look in the bird's emerald green eyes, and went to his family.

Moony didn't seem to feel like playing that night—Padfoot thought inwardly he was still thinking about Emmeline. In an attempt to cheer up the werewolf, Padfoot and Harry engaged in a game of chase. Harry would peck the dog's back, and Padfoot would try to catch the lightning fast bird gently in his mouth. He only ever managed to catch Harry twice in the entire night.

Moony cheered a bit later into the night, and he joined in on the game. As dawn neared, though, he nudged Harry up onto the bed, his message clear: _Time for sleep. _Padfoot snorted lightly and rolled his eyes. Even in werewolf form, Remus was still the most responsible Marauder. Both canines hopped onto the bed and curled up around Harry as if they were protecting the small bird.

* * *

At moonset, Moony jumped of the bed, waking Padfoot who carefully pulled a pillow over Harry's still sleeping body—Harry didn't need to see Remus' transformation back to human. Remus tried his best to stifle his howls of pain as his bones morphed from canine to human. Sirius transformed back as well, and tossed his best friend a blanket to cover himself.

"Thanks..." Remus panted heavily. "Where's Harry?"

Sirius grinned and removed the pillow from his sleeping godson's Animagus form. "Can't believe he slept through that..."

"Yes, well, I'm glad he did," Remus said quietly, pushing himself shakily from the floor and crossing the room to his wardrobe for his clothes.

Sirius crossed his legs on Remus' bed and looked around while Remus got dressed. "Any luck with Emmeline yesterday?"

Remus shook his head. "No, she doesn't want to see me..." he said sadly.

"Well, she can't avoid you forever, can she? She's still got to see you during Order meetings and at work, doesn't she?"

Remus shrugged and went back to the bed, leaning on the headboard, careful not to sit on Harry. "Maybe she can't do it forever, but she's damn sure trying."

"It'll be all right, Remus," Sirius said bracingly. "Just give her time..." Remus nodded, staring pensively at the floor. "So what do you think about Harry spending full moons with us? Have you changed your mind?"

Remus smiled a bit. "As long as he doesn't get hurt, I don't see why we can't make it tradition. Besides, it's nice having him here. Feels just like old times..."


	25. Twenty Five

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Five_

A week had passed since the full moon and not much had changed in the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. Emmeline was still avoiding Remus like a plague—inwardly (though he'd never admit it aloud to his best friend) Sirius kind of thought she was right to be upset with Remus. If someone Sirius had been dating for six months had kissed her ex-fiancé, then lied about it, he'd be pretty damn upset too. Order meetings had become very tense ordeals for Remus and Emmeline—the witch was her normal cheerful self when she greeted everyone else, but if Remus said something to her, whether regarding Order business or otherwise, she pretended not to hear him, and stared off into another direction.

Actually, Sirius hadn't known the woman could be so stubborn. Remus had apologized to her upon deaf ears a hundred times at least, and she still blew him off. Sirius had finally cornered Emmeline at the Ministry one afternoon and asked if she was planning on breaking off her relationship with Remus, or if she was just going to let him sit and wonder. To his complete horror, she'd burst into tears and collapsed against Sirius' chest, muttering that she just didn't know anymore. He'd awkwardly patted her on the back, but stopped almost immediately when he saw Remus approach Emmeline's office. Remus glared at his best friend slightly before turning around, tossing a bouquet of flowers in the rubbish bin, and walking away. Sirius had to explain what had happened with him and Emmeline when he returned to Number Twelve, but Remus wouldn't listen for the first two hours of the explanation.

Hermione had finally stopped her crying, much to Harry's relief, and began to accept Ron and Harry's attempts to make her smile—Ron had actually succeeded in making her laugh when he jumped a foot in the air after finding a spider that had crawled into one of his shoes. Hermione would be going back to the Burrow with the Weasleys in a few days. Though Number Twelve was safer for her, Molly didn't think it was "proper" for a teenage girl to be holed up in a house alone with three wizards.

Tonks had gone to stay with her parents for a while—she wasn't yet ready to stay alone in her home, and Andromeda had come to Number Twelve and practically dragged her only daughter out to dinner with her and Ted. A few days later, at his cousins' requests, Sirius had moved Tonks' things to her parents' home.

Remus and Sirius had been discussing leaving Number Twelve as well, in favor of the cottage in Kent. Both were quite fed up with the old house, as well as the insults Sirius' mother threw out every time somebody accidentally set her off. When they'd mentioned the idea of moving back to the cottage to Harry, the boy had been thrilled. It was the house he'd grown up in, and it would be nice to sleep in his own bed rather than the bed Sirius had used when he was a child.

Dumbledore hadn't shared Harry's sentiments about the move, though. He'd tried to convince Sirius and Remus that Number Twelve was safest for Harry, outside Hogwarts, but the two younger wizards insisted it was better for Harry's sanity to leave Order Headquarters. At least at the cottage he could go outside—Molly didn't allow any of the children leave the house for fear that a Muggle would notice something odd. Finally, Dumbledore conceded that it was indeed their choice, and offered to help replace and strengthen the wards surrounding their home.

The day before the moves, Molly was busy doing laundry for Sirius, Remus, and Harry as though none of them knew how to wash their own clothes—Sirius didn't argue; Molly enjoyed fussing over them. Hermione and Ron sat close to one another at the kitchen table looking over one of the books Remus and Emmeline had bought for the young witch. Sirius wandered down the stairs looking for Harry, and instead found himself with an armful of shirts, underpants, and socks, all freshly laundered by the Weasley matriarch.

"Take these to Harry, please, dear," the witch said hastily, waving her wand to fold more clothes.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Sure, Molly," he said. "Ron, have you seen my godson?"

Ron looked away from the page Hermione was pointing at, blushing deeply enough to match his hair. "Er, yeah, he and Ginny went up for the chessboard and Harry's chess pieces."

Sirius resisted the urge to grin cheekily at Ron and nodded his thanks, not wanting to embarrass the boy any further. From what Harry had told him, the youngest Weasley son needed all the confidence he could get with girls, even if the girl had been one of his best friends for nearly six years. Ron reminded Sirius of Remus in that aspect; Remus and Naomi had been very good friends in school, but it had taken Remus until sixth year to finally ask her out on a date, and that was only after James had (jokingly) threatened to ask her to Hogsmeade with him. Naomi and James had been friends since they'd been infants. Both of their parents were high up in the Ministry together—their fathers were Aurors together—and had all been friends since their own days in Hogwarts.

Sirius raised a curious eyebrow when he reached Harry's bedroom door—his _closed_ bedroom door. If Harry and Ginny were just getting a chessboard and pieces, then why was the door closed, and why was Harry's wireless set turned up so loudly? Sirius' somewhat limited parental instincts kicking in, he opened the door slowly and silently. What he saw caused him to drop Harry's neatly folded laundry to the floor from shock: Harry and Ginny were on the bed, engaged in a rather passionate embrace, their hands in places they definitely shouldn't have been.

Neither of them had noticed Sirius' entrance, so the wizard waved his wand and turned off the wizard wireless on Harry's desk. The effect was immediate: the two teenagers broke apart and stared in horror at Sirius, their hair mussed, and their clothing wrinkled. Harry attempted to stammer an explanation, but Sirius silenced him with a look.

"Sirius, have you seen Ginny? Molly's looking for her—" Remus called, approaching the door and peering in. Harry groaned loudly in both embarrassment and anticipation of a very long lecture.

"Your mother is looking for you, Ginny," Sirius said in a very controlled voice, even though he was sure Ginny had heard Remus when he'd come in the room. Ginny nodded, not looking at any of the wizards in the eye, and quickly left the room.

"What's going on in here?" Remus asked slowly, looking from Sirius' expressionless face, to Harry's red one as the boy shifted under his guardians' eyes. The two older wizards entered the room and closed the door, Remus still waiting expectantly for an explanation.

"You know, Harry, I was only half-joking last year when I said I wasn't sure how I felt about you having girls in your bed," Sirius began quietly.

"Excuse me?" Remus asked loudly.

"Oh yeah," Sirius said, not looking away from his godson. "Harry seems to be quite the Casanova, Remus. Aren't you proud?"

Harry rolled his eyes in growing frustration. "I'm almost sixteen, Sirius—"

"And you're still living under my rules!" Sirius finished for him in a shout. Harry flinched at the change of tone. "Now I understand that you've got all these hormones driving you insane, but how bloody stupid can you get, making out with Ginny Weasley while her parents are downstairs?"

Harry slumped back into his pillows, crossing his arms and looking away.

"Do I even want to know how far you and Ginny have taken your... _relationship_?" Remus asked calmly.

"Nothing's happened," Harry muttered.

"Nothing except what I just walked in on, right?" Sirius asked heatedly. "And I'm damn glad I came in when I did..." he added darkly. "Kissing Ginny is fine. You're right, you are almost sixteen, and I can't stop you from kissing girls. But I can damn well stop you from being holed up in your bedroom with Ginny or any other girl you decide to bring home. Do you understand me?" Harry nodded and muttered something. "What's that, Harry?"

Harry turned his head to glare at his godfather. "I said, yes, sir."

"Thank you," Sirius said stiffly. "Molly has taken the liberty of washing and folding your clothes. I suggest you get your stuff packed and go down to thank her."

Without another word, Sirius yanked the door open and stalked down the hallway to his own bedroom, almost slamming the door shut on Remus' face. "Don't you think you were being a bit too hard on him, Sirius?" Remus asked.

Sirius rounded on him angrily. "Too hard on him! Remus, you didn't see them when I walked in! Five minutes later, and they would have been naked under the covers!"

Remus raised his eyebrows calmly. "I don't think you're giving either of them enough credit. They may be fourteen and fifteen, but I like to think we've raised Harry with more sense. And I know Molly and Arthur have raised _all_ their children with more sense than that." Remus sighed. "Besides, I happen to recall many times when I walked into our dormitory at Hogwarts to find you or James with some girl on your beds..."

"That's exactly the problem," Sirius huffed. "James and I were hormone-driven bastards in school, and I'm sure you'll also recall the reputations we gained because of that..." Sirius flopped unceremoniously onto his bed. "You were never like that... Why's Harry got to be like me and James?"

Remus' lips twitched. "I think this is the first time you've ever been disappointed that Harry's turning out like James, Padfoot." Sirius glared at him. "As for me..." Remus shrugged. "I had the same hormones going through my body that you and James had. I just knew how to control them better. It's normal for Harry to be doing these things, Sirius. Believe me, I'm just as upset that he was doing it as you, but think of it this way: we've known Ginny Weasley since she was four years old; at least he's with someone who doesn't care that he's the _Boy-Who-Lived_..."

Sirius calmed slightly at that. "It's not that big of a shock, really, Ginny and Harry, I mean," he muttered. "Harry told me he fancied her."

"When did he tell you that?" Remus asked curiously.

"Oh, Christmastime. You were busy with Emmeline..." Sirius said dismissively, noticing Remus stiffen almost instantly. "Sorry, Moony," he muttered.

Remus shrugged it off as nothing. "Well, I've got to finish packing. Would you mind if I borrowed a few books from the library?"

"Not at all, have at them. I'd planned on burning the ones you didn't want, anyway," Sirius said.

* * *

The next morning, both families enjoyed one last large breakfast before leaving for their respective homes. Harry maintained a stony silence towards both of his guardians, even though Remus hadn't really done anything to deserve it. He suspected Harry was more embarrassed at being caught than he was angry. Sirius and Remus didn't tell Ginny's parents what had transpired between their daughter and Harry the night before—Molly would probably have taken it worse than Sirius.

Once the dishes were all washed and put away, Molly gave Sirius, Remus, and Harry a hug and kiss each, thanking them for their hospitality over the last year. One by one, the Weasleys and Hermione Flooed back to the Burrow. Remus shrank his, Sirius', and Harry's belongings to fit in a single box, and then shrank that box to fit into his pocket.

Sirius was determined to ride his motorbike from London to Kent, regardless of Remus' insistences that it was going to rain later in the afternoon.

"Padfoot, if you fly in the rain, you're going to freeze to death, and I don't feel like thawing your corpse from that motorcycle when we finally find you," Remus said as he reached for the Floo powder and held it out to Harry.

The teenager stepped into the fireplace without a word to his guardians and said their address clearly before disappearing in the whirl of green flames. Remus turned to Sirius, suddenly understanding why his best friend wanted to fly his motorcycle back home. "I'll talk to you later, alright? Fly safely," Remus said, before following Harry.

He stumbled out of the fireplace into his childhood home with a happy sigh. Harry was waiting for him on the coffee table. "May I have my things, please?" he muttered stiffly, not looking Remus in the eye.

"Not until you and I have a little chat," Remus said simply. "Don't be too hard on Sirius, Harry, or me for that matter," he said before Harry could interrupt. "You've got to understand how much of a shock it was for him to have walked in on that."

"Why couldn't he have knocked?" Harry asked heatedly, standing and pacing around the living room. "He always knocks before coming into my room."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "He does that out of courtesy to you, not because he has to, Harry. And I suppose he realized something was going on in there, or he would have knocked. Just for my own curiosity, how far were you planning on taking things with Ginny?"

"What's it matter?" Harry asked loudly.

"It matters because Sirius and I are responsible for you, whether you like it right now or not. And we both happen to think a lot of Ginny—perhaps not as much as you think of her, but we're looking out for her well-being as much as yours," Remus said mildly.

"We weren't doing anything she didn't want us to do," Harry insisted as if he was suddenly worried that Remus was accusing him of something to the contrary.

"I'm sure what the two of you were doing was done with mutual consent," Remus said. "But please, for your sake, don't do anything stupid, Harry. You're both far too young for that, and I would hate to see your futures ruined because of one night's fun. Besides, neither Sirius nor I would be able to look Molly Weasley in the eye for as long as we lived—and if somehow Ginny ended up pregnant, I don't think we'd live much longer..."

Harry rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Look, I'm happy for you and Ginny, Harry, but please, no more girls in your room with the door closed, alright?"

Harry nodded. "Okay. Now may I have my things?"

Remus chuckled and pulled out the miniature box from his pocket. He and Harry unpacked their possessions and placed them in their rightful places before sitting at the kitchen table with butterbeers. Remus looked out the kitchen window with a smile. It was true what they said: there's really no place like home...

* * *

Sirius drove his motorcycle through London and, once he found a deserted road, hit a little silver button on the console, taking him into the air almost instantly. He'd planned to fly all the way back to Kent, but as he flew, a sudden urge hit him, and he turned back towards London. He sighed, thinking hard about what he was doing, and more than once had to push back the urge to turn around again.

He landed his bike and sped down the familiar back roads he'd taken when he was younger. He was going to visit his old flat, the place he hadn't been since before his arrest by the Ministry nearly fifteen years earlier. He had many reasons for not going back there, one of the strongest was that the flat had been where he'd spent most of his time with Julia before her murder and the place he'd gone on a month long drinking binge after her funeral.

Sirius came to a skidding halt just outside a brick building and stared up at the third level, where he knew his flat to be. He took off his helmet and set it on the seat of his bike before getting off and going up the front path. He climbed the stairs two at a time out of habit, and in no time he was staring face-to-face with a golden set of numbers: 342. Sighing again, he looked around to make sure no Muggles were watching, and tapped the doorknob with his wand.

The door swung open silently and he entered, reaching over automatically for the light switch. He smiled reminiscently and kicked the door closed behind him. It was a little dusty as he ran his hand over the small dining room table, but nothing had changed at all. All of the pictures he had of him, Julia, and their friends remained on a bookshelf full of old Hogwarts textbooks. Some of his clothes were still piled up in a corner next to the desk, and there was still an empty bottle of butterbeer sitting on the end table by the sofa.

He removed his leather jacket and placed it on a coat stand next to the door. Slowly, he made his way through his former home and entered his old bedroom. He laughed out loud when he saw the state of the bed—it hadn't been made in fifteen years. Old magazines littered his bedside table along with empty Muggle beer cans.

He bent down beside the bed and reached under, feeling for the box he knew was there. He smiled when he felt it against the wall, and pulled it out with his fingertips. Sitting cross-legged against the table, he lifted the lid of the shoebox and sighed. Inside was a variety of photos and folded papers, all held together by paperclips. This box was one of many that Sirius had kept after Julia's death. Her remaining family members had graciously allowed him to keep her school trunk and many of her personal effects.

Sirius remained on the floor of his bedroom for hours, rereading the poems and stories Julia had written in her youth; one in particular—a poem that had him laughing and crying at the same time. In the poem, (which he knew was about him) she'd called him a heartless pillock with absolutely no sense, but four lines down she called him her soul mate and her reason for being.

He flipped through the photos of the two of them, many of them showing the two of them curled up together, holding each other tightly, or sharing a tender kiss. He found one that was taken at Lily and James' wedding, where the two couples smashed cake in each other's faces. Remus and Naomi were in the background, laughing and throwing cake at their friends.

Sirius' wand vibrated in his pocket, causing him to drop the photo and jump a foot in the air. "This is why Mad-Eye's always going on about wand safety," he muttered, reaching for his wand.

He held it out in front of him—it was the communication spell he and Remus used when one of them didn't have the two-way mirrors. His best friend's face materialized in thin air. "Sirius, where are you?" Remus asked hastily.

"I'm at my flat... What's wrong?"

"There's been an attack at St. Mungo's again, but this time the Death Eaters have actually gone inside. Mad-Eye just Flooed... He says there aren't many survivors..."

Sirius felt himself pale. St. Mungo's was supposed to be safe. "All right," he said a bit shakily. "I'm on my way over there. Are you coming?"

Remus nodded. "Thought I'd let you know what's happening before I Apparated over there. I've sent Harry to the Burrow—I don't know how long we'll be gone."

Sirius looked at his watch—somehow, it was already ten p.m. "See you in a bit," Sirius said before lowering his wand, and breaking the connection with Remus.

* * *

"The survivors have all been taken to the Ministry for treatment," Johnson explained to his boss as they walked through St. Mungo's. Inside most of the rooms, beds had been covered with white sheets, signaling a dead body.

Sirius shook his head in horror as he looked around. "How many survivors?"

"About three hundred," Johnson answered quietly. "There were at least four or five hundred here, including Healers and medi-witches before the Death Eaters showed up," the younger Auror sighed.

"Black!" growled a voice behind them.

The two Aurors turned around to find Mad-Eye limping to them quickly. The retired Auror glanced at Johnson, making it clear to Sirius that he wanted to talk to him in private. "Go round up everybody else, and see if you can't get a list of patients, Healers, and all visitors that were here—we'll need to sort through and find out who died, then we'll need to notify families," Sirius said. Johnson nodded and glanced warily at Mad-Eye before walking away. "What's up?" Sirius asked his predecessor.

"Lupin here yet?" Mad-Eye asked. Sirius shook his head. "Well, I've got some bad news... Worse than all this, I mean. First, it seems Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, along with Barty Crouch Junior, finished what they started with Frank and Alice Longbottom—they're both dead."

Sirius closed his eyes tightly, sighed, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Also, it seems Emmeline Vance was here during the attack, visiting a sick friend or something. I haven't seen her at the Ministry—I've just come from there. I don't think she made it out of here—"

There was a sharp intake of breath to their right and the two Aurors turned to find Remus wide-eyed and pale, leaning against a wall for support. Sirius rushed over and caught him before his knees collapsed from beneath him.


	26. Twenty Six

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Six_

In just one short hour following the attack, sublevels one and two of the Ministry of Magic had been turned into a temporary hospital for the survivors of the tragedy at St. Mungo's. Aurors and Ministry Hit Wizards were assigned the task of guarding the lifts, and only allowing inside Ministry department heads and select people from a list given to them by Minister Bones. Despite Sirius' attempts to convince him to do otherwise, Remus rushed past the guards, who then tried to chase him down by wand point until Sirius told them who he was. Remus needed to see for himself whether Emmeline had been killed at St. Mungo's. He wouldn't believe anything anybody else told him until he'd searched every face inside the Ministry. Unfortunately, Sirius thought, he was just setting himself up for a lot more grief. Mad-Eye said he hadn't seen Emmeline at the Ministry, and Mad-Eye didn't tend to say things like that unless he was absolutely sure about it.

Once Remus had thoroughly checked the first level of temporary hospital beds, he practically sprinted back to the lifts, where Sirius waited for him, and hit the down button repeatedly. Remus was still pale and shaking, and Sirius was quite apprehensive to see his reaction if he didn't find Emmeline in the Ministry—Remus didn't have breakdowns often.

Before the grilles were all the way open, Remus squeezed out and moved hastily up and down the rows of cots holding patients. Healers on their days off had been called to the Ministry just after the attack to help treat the survivors. Most of them only had minor injuries—broken bones and such—but some were hanging onto life by a thread. They were, of course, top priority for the Healers at the moment.

"Sirius!" called a voice at the other end of the department hall. Sirius looked up and saw Tonks waving him over.

He started to move past the beds, looking for Remus as he went. "Hey," he said somberly, approaching his cousin. "What's up?"

"I've been trying to get a hold of you and Remus for the last twenty minutes, but when I Flooed St. Mungo's, they said you'd already left. Sirius, Emmeline's here. They brought her in just after Mad-Eye left..."

A relief like no other washed over Sirius. "If you weren't my cousin, I would kiss you..." he muttered, turning around. "Oy, Moony!" he called as he spotted Remus stumble miserably back to the lift. "She's here!" Remus' head snapped around so quickly, Sirius was surprised he hadn't broken his neck. Looking more relieved than Sirius had ever seen him look, Remus pushed past witches and wizards who were in the process of being healed.

"Where?" he breathed desperately. Tonks stepped aside from the door she was standing in front of and pointed inside. Sirius only now realized it was Emmeline's office in the Department of Magical Transportation.

"Makes sense..." Sirius said thoughtfully, grinning widely as Remus shoved him out of the way to get into the room. Sirius and Tonks followed him.

Emmeline was sitting up on a sofa, looking a little bruised and battered, but otherwise all right. She was talking quietly to Elphias Doge and Sturgis Podmore, cradling her arm a bit. The three of them realized Remus had entered, and the two wizards quickly stood and moved away from the chairs they occupied.

"Emmeline..." Remus whispered, rushing to kneel beside her. Without another word, or waiting for her to speak, Remus kissed her very thoroughly indeed. When he pulled away, he buried his head into her shoulder, muttering about how sorry he was.

Emmeline finally told him to stop his babbling, smiled, and hugged him tightly.

Sirius motioned for Elphias and Sturgis to leave the office, and he and Tonks followed, closing the door behind them to give the couple inside some much needed privacy. The four Order members were standing guard outside the office when something crossed Sirius' mind. "Tonks..." he said hesitantly. "Isn't Ted a Healer...?"

Tonks nodded. "He was off work today, though. He's up on level seven, seeing to the less injured patients," she said quietly.

"Oh," Sirius said thankfully. He wasn't sure if his cousin could handle yet another loss in such a short amount of time.

During the hour they patiently waited for Remus and Emmeline to emerge from the office, Dawlish sought Sirius out to give him the list of the dead from St. Mungo's. He and the other Order members looked over the list, which trailed too many feet on the floor.

Tonks gasped suddenly. "What?" Sirius said startled, looking at the name she pointed at. "Oh shit," he muttered.

It was the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Charles Emerson. Sirius had never really liked the wizard, but his death didn't mean very good things for him and his Aurors. As he and Tonks discussed who would be brought in to replace him, the door behind them swung open. The four Order members turned to find Remus and Emmeline standing hand-in-hand, Remus wearing a dopey grin and Emmeline with a rather pleased smile.

"Emmeline is going to be staying with us for a while, Sirius," Remus said, trying to gain back some of his composure.

Sirius grinned at them. "I figured as much," he said. He began to lead the way down the corridor, but turned back to Remus suddenly. "You've got lipstick on your cheek, mate..."

* * *

Harry Flooed back to the cottage just after eight o'clock the next morning and was drawn to the kitchen by the smell of pancakes and bacon.

_Sirius must be cooking_, he thought happily.

But upon entering the kitchen, it was not his godfather he saw at the stove, but Remus and Emmeline. The latter was wearing a pair of Remus' pajamas and had the wizard's arms wrapped tightly around her waist, his face buried in her neck. Harry only had a chance to raise an eyebrow before Sirius' sleepy voice whispered in his ear, "Long story... explain after food..."

Harry chuckled at his godfather's lack of ability to use full sentences in the morning, and allowed the older wizard to direct him into the kitchen. He sat down at the table as Emmeline turned around.

"Morning, Harry," she greeted cheerfully, earning a glare from Sirius for being so damn perky at such an early hour.

Breakfast was actually quite amusing. Harry had to keep stuffing food in his mouth to stifle laughs at the dopey looks Remus kept giving Emmeline, and Sirius' feigned sickness over the couple. Sirius had to leave right after eating to go to the Ministry—he had a meeting with the Minister to discuss the new head of the DMLE. Emmeline and Remus weren't required to go in, since Emmeline's department was still being used as a temporary hospital, and Remus' department wasn't needed—it was a Saturday anyway.

"So how long's Emmeline staying?" Harry asked Remus as they did the dishes. The witch in question had gone back to her house for a shower and to pick up some of her things.

Remus shrugged, still grinning stupidly. Harry didn't think he'd stopped all through breakfast. "Long as she wants, I suppose," he said. "You don't mind her being here, do you?" he added hastily, his smile faltering as he turned to look at Harry.

"No, not at all," Harry replied honestly. "I like Emmeline."

"Good," Remus said, quite obviously relieved. "It's just, it's always been just the three of us here—you, me, and Sirius—and I'd want you to feel comfortable with having her here..."

Harry shrugged. "Doesn't bother me," he said. "Whatever makes you happy makes me happy."

Remus smiled and pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Thanks, Harry," he said quietly, kissing the boy on top of his messy hair.

After dishes were completed, Harry decided to go for a fly—he hadn't been flying in the clearing behind the cottage for nearly a year, and he missed it. As he flew, he wondered what would happen if Remus and Emmeline got married. His initial thought was that nothing would change; they'd all live together in the cottage. But then he realized that Remus and Emmeline would want to start their own family at some point, and they couldn't very well do that with Sirius and Harry around...

The thought of his little family, however strange they may be perceived (the Boy-Who-Lived being raised by an ex-prisoner of Azkaban and a werewolf), breaking up was disturbing. He knew it would have to happen at some point; he'd be graduating from Hogwarts in two years, and he'd probably move out of the cottage. He'd always thought either Sirius or Remus would meet somebody and eventually get married, but that had always just been a thought. Now it was a very probably reality...

But Harry had to think logically and unselfishly. He was no longer a little kid, and Sirius and Remus couldn't be forced to ignore their own dreams of starting families because of him. They shouldn't have ever had to, but they'd both chosen to raise him rather than date. Well, not Sirius so much, but even he'd waited until Harry had started Hogwarts before agreeing to date Hestia Jones.

The more he thought on it, the happier he was for Remus. Remus deserved some happiness in his life, especially after what his ex-fiancée had done to him. Besides, he wouldn't really be losing his family; if Remus and Emmeline had children, he'd just be getting a larger family...

Feeling slightly more cheerful than when he'd started flying, Harry turned back towards the cottage, hoping Remus and Emmeline had stopped snogging long enough to realize it was nearly lunchtime.

* * *

Sirius didn't return home that night until nearly ten o'clock. He reheated some pizza Remus had gone into town to pick up, and collapsed exhaustedly in his armchair in the living room to eat, sighing as he watched Remus, Emmeline, and Harry play with Exploding Snap cards. "Bones wants to pull Mad-Eye out of his retirement from the Ministry to head the DMLE," he said thickly through his dinner to Remus and Emmeline.

Harry looked up from his hand of Exploding Snap cards—he, Remus, and Emmeline had been playing without the cards exploding for nearly an hour. "So who's going to teach Defense this year?" he asked, looking hopefully at Remus.

Remus just smiled and shook his head. "I've already got a job, Harry."

"Well, Dumbledore says he's got someone in mind. He just won't say who," Sirius explained, taking a sip of butterbeer. "Congratulations, Moony, you are officially the only professor to last so long in the Defense position in over twenty years."

Remus gave a mock-bow. "I'm honored," he said with a chuckle.

Emmeline looked thoughtful. "Who could he possibly find to fill the Defense position, though? There aren't many people wiling to do it anymore, are there? We never had the same Defense teacher two years in a row..."

"Hey, Moony," Sirius said suddenly, grinning. "Remember that Veela we had for fifth year."

Remus returned Sirius' wide grin, his eyes glossing over a bit. "Oh yes, I remember..." Emmeline swatted him playfully in the shoulder. He cleared his throat. "Not that she was any good, of course. We didn't learn a thing from her..." he said hastily, rubbing his shoulder. "I also remember James tricking you into asking her to Hogsmeade, and how she turned you down, Padfoot."

Harry snorted a laugh and tried to hide it in his butterbeer. Sirius glared at him. "James didn't _trick_ me into anything," Sirius insisted. "It was a dare," he added with all the dignity he could muster through a mouthful of pizza crust.

"Doesn't matter, does it?" Harry grinned at Remus. "She still turned you down. OW!" Sirius had just thrown a pillow at him, knocking his glasses off his face.

"Cheeky little bugger tonight, aren't you, Harry?" Sirius grinned. "Stop being such a girl," he added as Harry rubbed at his eye. "I didn't throw it at you that hard."

This resulted in Harry throwing the pillow back with every ounce of strength he possessed. The Exploding Snap cards went off with the sudden movement, but nobody noticed; Remus and Emmeline were watching with raised eyebrows as Sirius and Harry wrestled around the floor.

"I love my family..." Remus muttered over and over, as if he was trying to convince himself. Sirius and Harry looked up from their wrestling match, exchanged a look, and attacked Remus just as Emmeline jumped out of the way.

* * *

Normally, Remus slept very soundly at night—no force in the world could disturb him form his precious eight hours of sleep. But he woke suddenly as a low buzzing sound filtered through the thin walls of his cottage. He kept his eyes closed for a few minutes, trying to block out the noise and get back to sleep, but at the same time, trying to figure out what the noise was. It finally hit him when the buzzing grew a few octaves louder. He sat straight up in his bed, his eyes wide open. He looked to his right, where Emmeline was sleeping peacefully. He didn't want to wake her, but he needed her out of bed and alert.

She was a little peeved with his shaking her awake, but when he told her what was happening, she too was wide awake, already halfway out of bed and grabbing her night robe and wand. The couple stepped out of their bedroom with their wands at the ready just as Sirius burst out of his own room, wide-eyed and ready for action. Remus looked him up and down, sighed, and rolled his eyes. "You could have at least put on some trousers, Sirius," he said, gesturing to the white boxers with little red hearts all over them.

Sirius flushed a bit, noticing Emmeline trying to stifle a giggle. "Sorry, Emmeline," he muttered, going back to his room. He emerged half a minute later buttoning a pair of faded jeans.

"What in the bloody hell is that?" yelled Harry from his room.

Remus raised an eyebrow at the boy as he also entered the hallway, and Harry had the decency to look sheepish for his cursing. "Harry, we need you to get your wand," he said.

"Why? What's going on?" the teenager demanded.

"The wards have been breached," Sirius said in a brisk, business-like tone none of them were used to hearing. "There's a Death Eater or someone with the Dark Mark in the area..."

The three adults waited a moment in the hallway as Harry fetched his wand, then slowly made their way to the front hall. "Harry, you've got our permission to use any spell you can think of to defend yourself," Sirius said quietly, pulling aside the curtain over the living room window.

Harry nodded silently and tightened the grip on his wand. "I thought the wards and charms were put into place to keep people out..."

"They are," Remus said, locking the front and backdoors with a flick of his wand. "But the alarms going off right now are to alert us if anyone with the Dark Mark Apparates within five miles of our home. Every mile closer they come, the alarm grows louder and more urgent—"

As he spoke, the buzzing sound in the cottage grew louder, now with a beeping noise. "Two miles away," Sirius said, counting the number of beeps in a sequence he heard. "Dumbledore's sure to have heard it by now. We should be having company very soon..."

Five minutes later, Mad-Eye, Dumbledore, and Bill and Arthur Weasley flooded out of the fireplace. "How far are they?" Mad-Eye growled by way of a greeting, pushing past Harry to be next to the front door.

"One and a half miles," Sirius said. "Harry, I want you to go get your Invisibility Cloak. Stay under it in the kitchen, away from the window until I say otherwise."

Remus expected an argument from the boy—surely he'd think himself old enough to fight—but he only nodded and did as he was told. Actually, Remus noticed, Harry looked a bit fearful...

"One mile," Dumbledore informed them brightly. Sirius raised an eyebrow at him; had he had too much brandy tonight?

Mad-Eye took it upon himself to perform Disillusionment charms on everybody, including Harry, even though he was under his cloak, and the Order members carefully stepped outside into the cool, breezy night, waiting.

A surge of light filled the trees surrounding the cottage, and Remus instinctively moved closer to Emmeline.

"Wands at the ready," Dumbledore said in a soft, cheerful tone.

There was a loud, painful scream when the light disappeared—the charms seemed to have done their job for a change. Minutes later, a black shape was crawling from the trees and collapsed on the dark grass. Sirius moved forward quickly with Mad-Eye and Bill beside him. The others waited for more shapes to emerge.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sirius shouted indignantly.

"What?" Remus called, leaving Emmeline beside the house to see what Sirius was so upset about. He ignited the tip of his wand as he approached and groaned loudly. Naomi lay unconscious at their feet, her breathing quite erratic.

"Bloody false alarm," Sirius grumbled as Dumbledore, Arthur, and Emmeline joined them. "I thought I was going to catch a Death Eater."

"You could arrest her," Remus said lightly. "Technically, she is a Death Eater..."

"Shut up, Moony," Sirius muttered, conjuring a stretcher as Dumbledore floated the witch's body into the air. They went back into the cottage—Remus called to Harry that it was safe to come out—and placed Naomi on the sofa.

Arthur and Bill almost immediately excused themselves. Molly was waiting up for them, Arthur explained, and she'd start worrying if they didn't report back soon. "Thank you for coming so quickly," Remus said to the Weasleys. Arthur waved him off, saying he was more than happy to help anytime. Remus watched them leave again, and turned back to the sofa where Dumbledore was studying Naomi in interest.

"Who's that?" Harry asked suspiciously, pulling off his Invisibility Cloak at the foot of the sofa. "And why is she here?"

"This is Naomi, Harry," Sirius said quietly. "As to why she's here, that's a damn good question..."

"One which will be answered shortly," Dumbledore said cheerfully. Again, Sirius raised an eyebrow at the old man. "The spells and charms surrounding your land are set to stun unwanted guests."

Remus raised an eyebrow this time. "So why was she screaming?"

"Ah, that would be Alastor's doing, I believe," Dumbledore said, inclining his head to the retired Auror. "Naomi's screams were the result of a rather strong stinging hex."

"Nice one," Sirius said, trying not to grin. It wasn't that he enjoyed seeing others in pain—well, there were a few exceptions to that... But anyone who decided it was a good idea to come for a visit at two in the morning deserved to be hexed.

Sirius looked around the living room. Remus didn't seem too thrilled over their unexpected guest either, but that could have been because he'd only just made up with Emmeline a few days before. Harry was looking curiously from Naomi to Remus and Emmeline, as though wanting to ask a question, but knowing better.

Dumbledore finally decided it time to wake Naomi. "_Ennervate_," he said brightly. Naomi's eyes began to flutter open—Harry backed away a bit. "Good morning, Naomi," the Headmaster said.

"Hello, sir," Naomi said hoarsely, wincing as she sat up.

"Might I ask why you've come here at such an early hour?"

Sirius bit his lip, wanting to ask the question in a slightly different way, but resisting.

"I had to speak with Sirius and Remus," Naomi answered, her eyes drifting around to Emmeline, Remus, Sirius, Mad-Eye, and finally on Harry. "It's about Lucius Malfoy..."

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly. Dumbledore's eyes seemed to stop twinkling; Remus and Sirius both stiffened visibly at the name; Mad-Eye growled a bit; and Harry's eyes widened. "What about him?" Remus asked as calmly as possible.

"He's been using Polyjuice Potion to get around unnoticed," Naomi said. "He used it to meet his wife and son at the train station when the Hogwarts term ended."

"He was in Knockturn Alley," Sirius muttered, a faraway look in his eyes. "He bumped into me. Remember, Moony?"

Remus nodded.

"How do you know all this?" Mad-Eye asked Naomi.

Naomi looked a bit uncomfortable and averted her eyes from the others. Remus narrowed his eyes at her. "I have my ways," she murmured.

"What ways?" Remus asked sharply and suspiciously.

"What's it matter to you?" Naomi snapped loudly.

"Don't you yell at him," Emmeline snapped back.

Naomi glared at the other witch, as if she was about to say that she had every right to snap at Remus, but very intelligently remained silent. "It doesn't matter _how _I know," she said finally. "But I wanted to tell you guys as soon as I could."

"You could have come to me, Naomi," Dumbledore said, looking at her sternly over his half-moon spectacles.

"Well, I know that, but Sirius needed to know before he went to the Ministry tomorrow. Malfoy's planning on assassinating him at Auror Headquarters."


	27. Twenty Seven

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Seven_

Despite Naomi's very clear warning just a few hours before, Sirius showered and dressed in his Ministry robes as if there wasn't someone planning to assassinate him that day.

"Nobody, least of all Lucius 'Look-How-Blond-My-Hair-Is' Malfoy is going to keep me from going on with my life as normal," Sirius said stubbornly.

"Sirius," Remus said as if he was talking to a rather stubborn three-year-old. "He's trying to do just that, you idiot." Sirius only rolled his eyes at his best friend, took some toast from a plate on the kitchen table, and Apparated from cottage. Only residents of the cottage could Apparate or Disapparate from the house, thanks to the wards Dumbledore and Mad-Eye had put up.

"He's a dead man," Remus said, staring at the spot Sirius disappeared from.

Emmeline turned from the kitchen window. "He'll be fine..." she said, obviously unsure herself. "Nobody who doesn't work in the Ministry is going to get in."

"That doesn't mean a damn thing," Remus said quietly. "Naomi said Malfoy is using various disguises. He could be using someone who works with Sirius... Someone in Auror Headquarters."

Their conversation ceased abruptly when Harry walked into the kitchen, yawning widely and looking around.

"Please don't tell me he went to the Ministry," Harry said flatly to Remus. Emmeline and Remus' silence was enough of an answer for him. "And he asks me if I have a bloody death wish," Harry said angrily. Remus didn't even reprimand him for his language—he thought, considering the circumstances, Harry was completely in line.

* * *

Security around the Ministry of Magic, specifically Auror Headquarters, had tightened to the point that it took the employees half an hour get to their workstations. Though Sirius insisted he could handle Lucius Malfoy, Hit Wizards had been assigned to him as bodyguards. He couldn't even go to the bathroom without one of the gorilla-looking wizards following him.

When Tonks tried to enter his office later in the day, the Hit Wizards put her through several identity tests. They nearly arrested her due to her Metamorphmagus abilities, but Sirius performed a quick forensics spell and that took care of that. The nearly irate witch glared at her cousin as he barely concealed his laughter—she'd been poked a few times too many with a secrecy sensor. "You know, for someone whose life is in danger, you're in a damn good mood," Tonks said grumpily, sitting down in front of Sirius.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Lucius Malfoy has been threatening me for years. He actually sent me a letter a few years back..."

"You're not scared at all?" the witch checked.

Sirius shrugged nonchalantly. "No more than usual. If by some chance he does get through the Atrium to down here, there's no way in hell he's going to get close enough to me to do anything."

"What about poisoning your lunch? He doesn't have to be close to do that," Tonks pointed out.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You seem to have thoroughly thought through how to kill me, Nymphy. Are you trying to get my job?" Tonks glared at both the accusation and the nickname. "Lunch is taken care of; Remus is bringing it from the Leaky Cauldron. And I'm sure my new mates outside the door will search him and my lunch very thoroughly..."

"Speaking of Remus," Tonks began. "Have you thought about the possibility that Naomi told you guys about Malfoy to get out off your guard so they could attack Harry...?"

Sirius nodded. "That was one of the first things we talked about after Naomi left." He rubbed his eyes warily. "We've got Sturgis Podmore and Mad-Eye spending the day at the cottage—that was with Remus', Emmeline's, and Harry's knowledge. I talked Bones into sending a few Hit Wizards under Invisibility Cloaks to hang out around the cottage. And yes, Mad-Eye knew about it beforehand."

Tonks laughed—the first laugh Sirius had heard from her in months. "Kingsley always said you were protective of Remus and Harry..." she trailed off looking a bit lost.

"Tonks..." Sirius said softly, standing to comfort his cousin.

"I'm fine," she said hastily, though Sirius saw her wipe at her eyes. "I'll be fine." Before he could stop her, she left his office in a rush, muttering something about finishing a report.

One of the Hit Wizards poked his head through the office door to check if Sirius was all right. "What?" the Head Auror snapped. The other wizard raised his hands as if in surrender and went back to his post. "It's going to be a long day," Sirius muttered to himself.

* * *

Harry sat at the kitchen table staring moodily at a bottle of butterbeer in front of him. He'd wanted to go for a fly, but due to the threat on Sirius, he wasn't allowed. Nor was he allowed to go to the Burrow for the day. He'd asked if his friends could come to the cottage, but Mad-Eye had put a stop on that almost immediately; a Death Eater could be impersonating any one of them. When Harry gave Remus an exasperated look, the werewolf merely shrugged and went back to his newspaper.

"You know, if you're really bored you could go clean that disaster area you call a bedroom," Remus said lightly, sitting down beside the boy. "We've only been back here for three days and already you can't walk through there without fear of something reaching out and pulling you under the bed." Harry rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay, you don't want to clean. What about your summer homework?" Harry glared at that suggestion. Remus sighed this time. "Harry, I don't know what to tell you..."

"When's Sirius going to let us know he's still alive?" Harry asked flatly.

"I'll be taking him lunch soon. No, you can't go," Remus added as Harry opened his mouth hopefully. "They're not allowing anybody without a Ministry badge in after the St. Mungo's attack."

"This sucks," Harry grumbled.

"I agree," Remus said, nodding. "But we're better safe than sorry. Lucius Malfoy has been threatening to kill all three of us for years, and it seems he's finally gotten the courage to try it again."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "You think he's afraid of Sirius?"

Remus smiled. "To a point, yes, I do believe he is. Voldemort knows how powerful Sirius is, and though I don't think Voldemort is afraid of him, I do think his Death Eaters are."

"But why?"

"Sirius has proved time and time again that he is reckless and unpredictable. Death Eaters prefer targets whose actions can be monitored and easily over-powered. Sirius doesn't allow that; he's never done the same thing twice in a battle. He'd be a terrible subject for Polyjuice Potion." Remus smiled warily. "Most of the world could be fooled, but you and I would be able to realize something was off in a heartbeat."

Harry chuckled in agreement. Before he could reply, Mad-Eye limped into the room. "Lupin, if you're taking Black lunch, I suggest you get moving."

Remus looked at his watch and nodded. "Right. Harry, Emmeline and Sturgis are here, and Mad-Eye said he spotted a few Hit Wizards under Invisibility Cloaks in the front yard earlier. I have the two-way mirror, so let me know if you need anything. And stay out of trouble..."

Harry nodded and allowed Remus to ruffle his hair a bit before leaving. The teenager almost immediately went back to staring broodingly at his butterbeer bottle.

* * *

Wrapping her cloak tightly around her, Naomi walked swiftly through the dungeon-like corridors of the Dark Lord's hideout. She'd tried many times to look for windows, in the hopes of gathering her bearings and maybe figuring out where the hideout was located, but there wasn't one window in the place.

She'd hoped to see Lucius at some point during the day, to discover if Sirius was alive and well, but again, she'd had no luck whatsoever. She didn't dare ask around to the Death Eaters who'd taken up residence in the hideout—the ones who'd been broken out of Azkaban. For one, many of them weren't too thrilled with her; they'd been loyal to the Dark Lord much longer than she, and she was his "third-in-command"; the one depended upon to develop attack strategies against the Order of the Phoenix.

Lucius Malfoy seemed to be the exception, in the extreme. At first, she'd told him to bugger off, that she wasn't interested in anything he had to offer—he'd been lonely, he'd said. But the more she'd thought on it, the more she'd realized how much more she could find out if Malfoy trusted her enough to have her, a blood-traitor to the other Death Eaters, in his bed every few nights. They were far from the most enjoyable experiences of her life, but if he was drunk enough, he'd let things slip—like how he planned to assassinate Sirius Black.

She rolled her eyes at the memory of Lucius telling her how, when, and where he was going to kill Sirius. He'd been so cocky about it, as if nothing in the world would be able to stop him. The way he'd been going on, Naomi was surprised nobody else knew of his little plan. Of course, she'd play dumb, like she always did when asked of how plans were leaked—the Dark Lord, for some very odd reason, never suspected her, and anyone who accused her of betraying him was punished on the spot. If she didn't know any better, she'd say the Dark Lord had developed some sort of parental feelings for her. Of course, that was impossible, considering said Dark Lord never showed compassion for any of his followers—Naomi was no exception to that; she'd been punished before when her "master" was upset, just not as often as some of the others. Like Bellatrix Lestrange, who seemed to be getting on the Dark Lord's bad side more often than not lately. But whatever the Dark Lord felt for her, it was definitely an advantage for her. It meant he didn't suspect her of being a spy for the Order yet, and the last thing she wanted was to be suspected by the Dark Lord.

She looked over her shoulder briefly before pushing open a stone door. She felt little pity for the man sitting on a cot in front of her. Granted, she was basically in the same position he was. Although she did still have a soul... He deserved what he'd gotten after what he'd done to Lily and James, and later to Harry. She still wasn't sure why the Dark Lord was using Peter—he was practically useless now, and under Imperius, he was just another soldier.

"Hello, Peter," she said quietly, standing in front of her former friend's bed. He made no sign that he'd even heard her, but stared past her at the wall opposite him. She'd never seen him do much of anything else since she'd begun visiting him a few months before. She waved a hand in front of his face, and he slowly turned his head towards her, staring at her with his mouth partly open. He blinked at her, his eyes still as dead and dull as ever. She furrowed her brow, noticing something flash in his eyes. "Peter, can you understand me?" she asked, feeling a bit stupid. He blinked again.

"That's impossible," she muttered under her breath. Peter was moving his hand up, his expression still blank, and reached out to touch Naomi's face. She grabbed his cold hand gently and stared at him. "Are you in there, Peter?" Again, she felt stupid. She knew enough about Dementor's Kiss victims to know that once someone was Kissed, there was no chance of recovery. Peter shouldn't have been able to respond to her at all. She recalled having read something at Flourish and Blotts about a wizard trying to return souls to Dementor's Kiss victims, but she was sure his studies were proven wrong; she hadn't read much of the book... Naomi wondered idly if the Imperius Curse had some effect on his mind...

There was a commotion in the corridor outside Pete's door, starting Naomi from her thoughts. "I'll come back, Peter," she said quietly, patting the wizard's hand and standing. She looked back at her former friend to find him in the same position as when she'd entered before leaving.

* * *

Sirius and Remus were quietly enjoying their lunches from the Leaky Cauldron, both too tired and tense to make conversation. Now that Sirius thought about it, it probably hadn't been the best idea for Remus to come to the Ministry. If Malfoy was indeed planning on attacking the Auror that day, he would just be getting a bonus with Remus there—Sirius was sure his best friend wasn't far behind him on Voldemort's "to-do" list.

Sirius actually hoped Malfoy would show up; he'd been wanting a piece of the Death Eater for many years. And if Malfoy was stupid enough to show up at the Ministry of Magic, even if he was under Polyjuice Potion, well, that just made the entire situation all the more humorous for Sirius.

"What did she mean by 'I have my ways'?" Remus muttered suddenly. Sirius figured he was thinking out loud.

"Who?" Sirius asked, taking a bite of his salad.

Remus started a bit, obviously unaware that he'd spoken aloud. "Oh, er, Naomi..." Sirius looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that. It's suspicious, isn't it? Why would Malfoy tell her that kind of information? Do you not remember how he treated her when she and I were together?"

Sirius abandoned his meal and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "Might I ask why you care?" he said carefully. "You've told me many times you feel nothing for her..."

Remus shrugged and looked away. "I know when she's lying, Sirius... I've always been able to tell when she's lying. Right now, she's hiding something from all of us—Dumbledore included, and I'm just curious as to what that could possibly be..." He trailed off, staring at the floor.

"Whatever it is, Naomi can handle herself. She's proved that many times in school against us," Sirius said, unsure of what Remus was thinking or what he wanted to hear. He didn't bring up the fact that Remus hadn't realized Naomi was lying to him for months when the Death Eaters started trying to recruit her.

Remus sighed and opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, Tonks burst into the office. "They've caught someone in the Atrium. They're not sure if it's Malfoy, but the identity tests were going haywire."

Sirius and Remus turned back to each other, the former grinning excitedly as if Christmas had come early. Both wizards bolted from their seats instantly and raced through Auror Headquarters after Tonks, the Hit Wizards guarding Sirius struggling to keep up. When they reached the Atrium, Sirius was shaking in anticipation; they found a large group of Ministry officials with their wands out and pointed at the same spot.

"Head Auror, Head Auror... Move aside," Sirius muttered, pushing his way through the crowd, Remus right on his heels. The two friends made it to the front and looked down at their feet where a wizard with long brown hair lay unconscious.

"We're just waiting for the Polyjuice to wear off," Arthur said when he spotted Sirius. He looked just as excited as the Auror to be on the verge of capturing Lucius Malfoy.

"Are you sure it's him?" Remus asked, not wanting to get his hopes up too much. He wanted to see Malfoy pay for his crimes as much as Sirius did.

Arthur shrugged. "We think he somehow jammed the identity charms. Says his name is John Springer. Ever heard of him?"

"No," Remus answered.

"Well, he's got no identification on him at all. We've got his wand, though..."

"Where?" Sirius asked suddenly, turning his head from the captive.

A witch handed it to him and he examined it closely before performing _Priori Incantatem_. Suddenly, and very unexpectedly, a loud bang sounded and Sirius was thrown back into the crowd as if a rubber band had been attached around his middle. Though surprised by the sudden movement, Sirius was caught by a few wizards standing at the front of the group.

"Bloody hell!" one of them cried, looking down at Sirius. Remus pushed past the group that moved around his best friend. Sirius had been knocked unconscious.

"How could _Priori Incantatem_ do that?" Charlie Weasley asked as Remus knelt beside Sirius.

"Could have been from the force of the last spell, whatever it was," somebody suggested, but Remus had another idea. He took the wand that was still held tightly by Sirius—he had to pry the wizard's fingers from around—and laid it on the floor. There were deep indents around it where Sirius' fingers had been, as though they were burned into the wooden tube. Looking fearfully from Sirius to the wand, Remus came to his shaky conclusion:

"It was a set-up," he whispered, thinking how ingenious the plan was. "This isn't Malfoy... It might be, but I highly doubt it. Whoever it is, being caught was part of the plan; it's what they wanted… They probably knew Sirius would come running, and he'd want to test the wand... Oh dear god… the wand... it was cursed to backfire... We need to get Sirius to the hospital..."

Without waiting for anyone else, he floated Sirius' unconscious form in front of him, and down the lifts to level two where the temporary hospital had been set up after the attack on St. Mungo's. A Healer spotted them almost immediately and took over Sirius, floating him to an empty bed. Arthur and Charlie arrived a moment later with Tonks, who held the wand found in the Atrium.

"Is he all right?" Arthur asked quietly and worriedly as the Healer called over a few of his colleagues, the last of which—a tall blonde witch—conjured a curtain to surround Sirius' bed.

Remus tried to answer Arthur's question, but couldn't find his voice. Sirius had endured many injuries in his lifetime, but most of them had been so minor he'd been released from hospital that same day—only once, maybe twice, had he had to remain in hospital for longer than that. Remus tried to listen in on what was happening behind the curtain, but realized immediately that a silencing charm had been placed around it. Arthur, at some point, made him sit—apparently, he'd grown pale and was starting to shake. He wasn't sure why he was so worried, but he had a bad feeling about that wand.

Not until two hours later did a Healer come out to speak with them. Sirius' health had been stabilized, the Healer said, but there was significant damage to his body. His magical abilities had been completely drained—right now he could basically be classified as a Squib. Hopefully, his magic would return with time, but none of the Healers were sure when he'd be able to even make a feather float again.

"But he's going to live. Right?" Tonks asked.

The Healer gave her a small smile. "He will live."

Suddenly, Remus understood. Malfoy wasn't trying to kill Sirius—although that probably would have been preferred, he was trying to take Sirius out of the action.

_Looks like it worked..._ Remus thought wryly.

Arthur asked if they could see Sirius, but the Healer said no, Sirius needed to rest right now. They could come back tomorrow for a full report, and if he was up to it, they could see Sirius. Charlie helped Remus stand—he'd somehow lost control of his legs—and muttered something about Harry and the cottage—Remus couldn't hear properly, either. Nonetheless, moments later, he was being set down in an armchair and Charlie was calling for Emmeline and Harry.


	28. Twenty Eight

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Eight_

Remus sat in his armchair in a complete daze. Charlie had been the one to tell Emmeline, Harry, Mad-Eye, and Sturgis what had happened with Sirius at the Ministry. At some point, Mad-Eye had brought Remus a tall glass of firewhiskey, which he'd gulped down in seconds. He could feel Harry staring at him from the sofa, silently begging him to say Charlie was lying, that Sirius was all right—normally, Remus was the one to tell him everything was going to be fine, but for the first time ever, Remus couldn't honestly deny a thing.

Remus finally turned his head to look at the teenager and wished instantly that he hadn't. The look on Harry's face suggested Sirius had died, when actually he was lying unconscious at the Ministry of Magic.

"So what will this mean for Sirius?" Emmeline asked quietly from the sofa beside Harry. She reached over to rub the boy's back in an attempt to comfort him.

Remus finally broke eye contact with Harry and looked at her. He shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I've never heard of this happening to anybody before. Of course, there's the Wizard Flu, which temporarily drains magical powers, but that doesn't begin to compare to what's happened to Sirius..."

"The Healer said he's more or less a Squib right now," Arthur said softly. "He won't even be able to make a feather float for months..."

"But his powers will come back, right? I mean, he's not going to be like this forever, is he?" Harry asked almost desperately.

Remus sighed heavily. "I really don't know, Harry. Sirius is quite powerful, as I've explained to you before, and we just don't know how this curse has affected him."

* * *

Tonks stood beside the Minister of Magic and Auror Dawlish as they stared into a holding cell, which contained the person captured in the Atrium. It would only be moments before the Polyjuice Potion wore off, and all three were eager to see if they'd finally caught Lucius Malfoy.

Tonks wouldn't allow herself to think about her cousin, laying a few levels above them. Ever since she was a small girl, she remembered Sirius being one of her favorite people in the world. Whenever he'd come to visit, usually with James, Peter, and Remus, she would wait for his arrival on the foot of the stairs; her mother had never allowed her to wait out front, since there'd been a war waging on around them back then. Sirius would take her flying, or out for ice cream, and he'd show her the new pranking supplies he'd bought—she'd received her very first Acid Pop from him when she was seven. Her mother still wouldn't let him live that down.

"Here we go," Dawlish muttered, standing straighter.

Tonks yanked her eyes away from the floor and looked into the holding cell. Biting her lip, she watched as the long brown hair on the wizard shortened and lightened just a touch, revealing a few grey spots. The smooth face roughened a bit, a short brown beard to match the hair growing. Legs lengthened, a belly grew, and a few scars appeared. Now lying unconscious before them was one of the last people any of them would have suspected, but it somehow made sense...

"Diggory?" Dawlish cried incredulously, approaching the bars.

Madam Bones slowly followed, also peering into the cell, her face expressionless. "He will need to be questioned. Dawlish, I believe you and Miss Tonks can handle that on your own. I need to contact Dumbledore."

Wasting no more time, the Minister left the two Aurors to stare in shock at their captive. Dawlish's first suggestion was the Imperius Curse—Diggory was one of the more respected wizards in the Ministry, and he'd never do something like this. Tonks wasn't so sure; she recalled Sirius telling her about the glares Diggory gave him whenever they crossed paths.

Dawlish tapped his wand on the cell door and walked inside to wake Diggory. The other wizard woke in a daze, looking around confusedly, wondering where he was, and what he was doing there. When Tonks told him quite calmly what was happening, and what he'd done, his eyes widened and his complexion paled. He agreed without hesitation to cooperate with the Aurors and followed them to the interrogation room without a problem.

* * *

Sirius woke early the next morning feeling more disoriented than he ever remembered feeling. Healers were moving hurriedly around his bed, performing diagnostic spells and asking him all sorts of stupid questions. After many failed attempts, he finally coaxed one of the Healers, a cute, blonde haired, blue-eyed witch, to tell him what was going on. She'd told him in very plain terms that he had no traces of magical powers in his body, but the words didn't register until nearly two hours later when he was being moved to a private room in the temporary hospital of the Ministry.

Remus and Harry visited him later that day; Harry seemed almost afraid to come close to his bed. When Harry left the room to speak with Tonks, Sirius asked Remus why the boy was acting so skittish. Remus told him Harry hadn't taken the news too well, and was afraid of hurting Sirius any further.

"But I'm not hurt," Sirius said. "I just have no magic in me." He turned his head away from Remus with a bitter look on his face. "At least tell me we got Malfoy—that would make all this worth it." When Remus didn't reply right away, Sirius turned back to his best friend and growled a bit. "Who was it, then?"

"Amos Diggory," Remus said quietly. Sirius' eyebrows shot up. "He's been under Imperius for nearly a year. Nobody realized it, not even his wife and son. Remember when the Death Eaters attacked the Burrow? Diggory's house was their Apparition point. Tonks and Dawlish think that when the Death Eaters left to go to the Burrow, Diggory broke through the curse long enough to contact the Ministry and tell them what was happening, but didn't want to mention that he'd been under Imperius. Apparently, he thought he'd get into trouble for it..."

"Are they sure it was Imperius?" Sirius asked darkly.

"Pretty sure, yeah," Remus replied. "Diggory claims he remembers nothing, and a Legilimens was called in to double check—he couldn't find anything to the contrary."

"Maybe Diggory's an Occlumens."

"Possible, but unlikely; he was pretty weak when he woke up in the holding cell, so if he is an Occlumens it would have been nearly impossible to block his mind properly."

Sirius sighed. They hadn't caught anyone, for all the trouble he'd been caused. Sure, one mystery was solved—Sirius had been curious about how Diggory could have seen the attack down at the Burrow from his house the year before. But Malfoy had tricked them again, and Sirius Black didn't like to be tricked.

"When do I get to go home?"

"The Healers say you're free to go, but they recommend you stay in bed for a few weeks. They want to see if your body can restore your magic on its own. They also said you're not to even attempt a Summoning charm until they know about the curse that was used on you."

Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed again. He also didn't like to be told what to do—least of all by Healers. "Has anyone talked to Naomi? I'm somewhat curious about her information. I was under the impression Malfoy was coming to the Ministry to kill me. I don't recall anything about Amos Diggory or a curse that could take away all of my magical abilities."

"Nor do I," Remus said. "I haven't spoken with her, but Dumbledore may have. I haven't spoken with him, either."

Their conversation came to a halt when Minister Bones entered to check up on her Head Auror. Sirius could tell she had something bad to tell him, and it didn't take long for her to announce the reason for her visit: Due to the curse's effect on Sirius, Madam Bones would be having him temporarily replaced as Head Auror. She explained as kindly as possible that it would do no good for the Aurors to have a leader who couldn't perform magic. She assured Sirius that the moment he was fully recovered, the job would be his again.

Needless to say, Sirius was devastated. He loved his job, regardless of the time he spent complaining about it. He loved his Aurors, and nothing made him happier than catching one of the hundreds of Dark wizards or witches infesting his world. Moreover, he'd become obsessed with the task of capturing Lucius Malfoy. The fact that Malfoy had once again slipped through his fingers just added to Sirius' grief.

Harry returned not long after Bones left, and Sirius quietly expressed his desire to just go home. It seemed he didn't want to spend any more time in the Ministry of Magic than absolutely necessary. Sirius and his family went to the DMLE level of the Ministry, where Sirius gathered a few of his more important files and personal possessions. Dawlish would take over as Head Auror until Sirius returned, so Sirius spent a few minutes filling him in on the cases he needed to be aware of. Dawlish promised to include Sirius in the more important decisions in the Auror ranks, and this made Sirius feel a bit better. Using a rather complicated spell, Dawlish took control of the Apparition chamber that only Sirius had been able to use. He seemed to feel worse about giving this up than anything else.

With a portkey made by an official in the Department of Magical Transportation, Sirius, Remus, and Harry returned to the cottage. Once there, Sirius dropped his cheery façade and sat in his armchair, staring broodingly at the empty fireplace.

* * *

The Dark Lord was in a wonderful mood that night. He praised Lucius Malfoy in front of the other Death Eaters with what could be considered glee in his cold, high-pitched voice. Naomi listened closely to what Malfoy had done, how he'd changed his plan at the last minute, and had succeeded. Though her face was blank, inside she was panicking. Would anyone in the Order believe she hadn't given them false information? Snape could back her up—he was standing not far from her at the meeting. The only problem was that Snape loathed her nearly as much as he loathed Sirius and Remus.

Once the Dark Lord finished gloating about Lucius' achievements the day before, he announced his next plan. Naomi wasn't surprised to hear it; she'd been expecting it for a long while, and was surprised it hadn't happened before now. The dementors were growing restless. One of the more lowly Death Eaters had been attacked the week before and was now drooling all over himself in one of the Dark Lord's rooms. The Dark Lord had not been amused.

London was too predictable for an attack. The Dark Lord seemed to find it amusing to devise plans that would throw the Ministry off and cause as much chaos as possible. A small village in Northern Britain would be the target, and the dementors would be set free to feast on whomever they pleased.

Finally the meeting ended, and Naomi tried to get away as quickly as she could to inform Dumbledore of the next attack. Unfortunately, her dear cousin-in-law, Bellatrix Lestrange, decided to corner her. She was delighted that Sirius Black had been rendered useless. Naomi couldn't remember seeing Bellatrix quite this happy—the murder of the Grangers wasn't even as close to pleasing Bellatrix as this was. She only seemed upset that she hadn't been involved in the plan. In order to keep her cover, Naomi laughed with her about the Head Auror's situation. Only when Rodolphus arrived to lead Bellatrix to a more private celebration did the witch leave Naomi to go on with her business.

The only Apparition spot in the entire castle was in the Dark Lord's private quarters. As far as Naomi knew, and she knew a lot, there was no other way out of the dungeon hideout. She'd explored as much as possible, but usually found nothing but stone walls. She'd started to believe the Dark Lord had charmed the place that way—he didn't want any of his followers knowing where his hideout was in case one of them was planning on betraying him. She wanted to laugh out loud every time she thought about the fact that not one but two of the Dark Lord's "most loyal" of Death Eaters were reporting to Albus Dumbledore every chance they had. The only thing that could make the entire situation more humorous would be to find out that Lucius Malfoy actually cared about the fates of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.

Cautiously, Naomi entered the Dark Lord's private quarters, and sighed silently in relief when she found the place empty. She tapped her wand against a hidden door in a wall, and waited for it to identify her before finally opening. Hoping she wouldn't have to come back anytime soon, she Apparated to Hogwarts.

* * *

Sirius stabbed moodily at his steak, wanting desperately to summon a butterbeer from the fridge. His wand, completely useless at the moment, sat beside his left arm, begging to be used. It had only been two days since "it happened," and he was already miserable. In an attempt to cheer him up, Harry asked him to go flying earlier in the afternoon. Sirius agreed, not thinking flying would have any adverse effects on him, but as it turned out, at first, he couldn't get his broomstick off the ground, and when he finally did get it into the air, it ended up bucking him off fifteen feet to the ground. The end results were long scratches up and down his arms and a very sore back after having fallen through tree branches. Never before had he realized how much he relied upon his abilities with a wand for everyday things. A first year at Hogwarts would have more magic in their pinky finger right now than Sirius had in his entire body.

It was embarrassing, really, to have to depend on others for tasks he'd never thought twice about. He couldn't even really help Harry with his summer coursework. One of the boy's assignments was to practice Defensive spells—Sirius could help with this, but all he did was stand in the middle of the backyard and let Harry send spells at him. By the time Remus and Emmeline came home from their day at work, Sirius had a black eye, a swollen lip, and another very sore back.

"Sirius!" Harry yelled from beside him, causing the wizard to jump and bump into the table.

"What?" Sirius asked irritably, picking up his spilt glass. Emmeline waved her wand lazily to clean up the milk that soaked the table.

"Would you pleases pass the carrots?" Harry asked. "I've been asking for five minutes..."

"Oh, right," Sirius muttered, reaching for the bowl. "Sorry about that..."

Sirius missed the looks Remus gave Emmeline and Harry, but soon after, Harry excused himself from the table and went to his room. "Padfoot," Remus said quietly and carefully. Sirius looked up from his plate of mashed potatoes. "I know this is frustrating for you, but you don't have to snap at us. This is the third time today, and frankly, I'm sick of it."

"Look, I'm sorry, all right?" Sirius said loudly, throwing his fork onto his plate. "This is more than just frustrating, Remus. They won't even let me work, and I can't wait to see what Dumbledore decides to do with me at the next Order meeting."

"That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about," Remus said. "Until Tonks can get her morphing under control, someone's got to stake out known Death Eater meeting places. Dumbledore's asked me to go. And before you start," he added as Sirius opened his mouth angrily, "he was going to ask you first if you would do it, but he doesn't want you out there with no means of defense. And whether you believe it or not, I am capable of defending myself. It's been nearly a year since France, and I'm more than ready to do more than pour over maps and books for the Order."

"He's sending you alone?" Sirius asked, his tone slightly threatening.

Remus shook his head. "No, actually. There will be a group of us, in pairs: Emmeline and Sturgis; Dedalus and Mad-Eye; Arthur and Dung; and you and me. Before you get too excited about it, you're going to have to stay under an Invisibility Cloak. If there's trouble, you will have to hide until we can Apparate out."

"Why the hell am I even going, then?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Because you're the Head Auror," Emmeline said simply. "You've been studying the case files of the lesser known Death Eaters for years, and you can tell who they are just by looking at them. The most any of us have seen is pictures once or twice, and we sure as hell haven't memorized their faces like you have."

"Basically, you'll be with me somewhere, and when you spot somebody you recognize as a Death Eater, I'll alert the others, and the Death Eater will be tailed by someone from the Order until we find out what they're doing," Remus explained. "Dumbledore wants you involved in any way that won't put you in danger. Somehow he thinks me being your partner is enough to keep you safe." He grinned. "He seems to think I actually like having you around enough to keep you out of trouble."

Sirius rolled his eyes but smiled slightly, happy to be involved in something. "So when does this new mission start, then?"

"Tomorrow night," Emmeline said.

* * *

Later that night, Remus entered Sirius' bedroom to find his best friend sitting cross-legged on the bed, glaring at his wand. "If you're trying to do wandless magic, I don't think it's working," Remus said lightly.

"Shut up, Remus," Sirius muttered with a sigh.

Remus chuckled and sat in Sirius' desk chair. "This isn't the end of the world, you know. You can still help out the Order, even if you can't do much when it comes to actual fights. Look at Arabella Figg. She's been a Squib all her life, but I guarantee Dumbledore relies on her more often than not."

Sirius shrugged. "What do you know about this curse they used on me?"

"Not much," Remus said regretfully. "But it's not for lack of trying. Both Emmeline and I, and Dumbledore too, I'm sure, have been looking into it. All that I've really found out is that it's illegal Dark Magic."

"So you have no idea how long it's going to last?"

Remus shook his head. "No, I don't. You may have to start from scratch as far as relearning spells and such. Or you may just wake up one day and find everything back to normal. I wish I knew, Sirius."

Sirius nodded pensively. "This is only going to make me an easier target for Voldemort, you know. He's bound to know all about Malfoy's little plan by now, and he's probably got half his Death Eaters out looking for me right now."

"Probably," Remus agreed. "None of them have ever been too fond of you, after all."

Sirius grinned slightly. "Well, I have dedicated my life to throwing them and their mates into Azkaban."

"Well, no matter what happens, I'm here, Emmeline's here, and Harry can save you from dementors, so I think you're covered."

"Harry shouldn't have to save me from anything, least of all dementors. I'm supposed to protect him, and I may have done a shitty job in the past, but now I can't do a damn thing if he gets into trouble," Sirius said bitterly.

"You'll be fine, Sirius. We'll just have to make sure Harry stays out of trouble for a change. It'll probably make for a boring term at Hogwarts, but once you're back to one hundred percent, we'll let him find trouble so you can save him," Remus said with a straight face.

"Ha ha," Sirius said dryly, throwing a pillow at his best friend.

* * *

Draco Malfoy stalked around his large home, waiting. His father had sent a message earlier, telling him to be prepared for the arrival of Patroclus Nott late in the night. Draco wasn't positive as to why Nott was coming for a midnight visit, but he had an idea. He'd been waiting for this night for years, and if he was correct in his assumptions, tonight would be the one he'd hoped would come since the Dark Lord's return. He would be the only one in his year of Slytherins to have the honor of serving the Dark Lord. He would have the Dark Mark and the power and the respect it came with. Most of his peers already respected him for his father's legacy. His father had saved the Dark Lord from certain death, and brought him back to full power. Though most of the wizarding world thought his father deserved to be in Azkaban, there were a few who knew Lucius Malfoy was the Dark Lord's favorite and therefore, treated Draco with the same wariness and respect.

A quiet _crack_ behind him made Draco turn on his heel to face the family house-elf. Dobby's hands were covered in bandages—he'd burnt Draco's dinner and the sixteen-year-old had ordered the house-elf to iron his hands as punishment. "Master Draco," Dobby muttered with a low bow. "Dobby is to tell Master Draco that Master Nott has arrived, sir. Master Draco is to go to the drawing room to meet Master Nott."

"Thank you, Dobby," Draco said curtly. His mother had always taught him to thank the servants—they could become allies in more difficult times and they agreed to tasks easier if they were treated with some sort of respect. "Return to the kitchens and stay there until I return."

"Yes, Master Draco," Dobby murmured before disappearing with another _crack_.

Draco quickly made his way to the drawing room, his heart beating eagerly as he took the stairs two at a time. When he entered, Nott was standing patiently beside a blonde witch Draco didn't recognize. Both smiled darkly at his enthusiasm. The woman approached him gracefully, and quietly said, "It is time, Draco, for you to stand beside your father."

For some reason, her words didn't have the effect on him that he thought they would. Since he'd been eleven years old, he'd dreamed of this night, but when the woman and Nott seized him by his arms, preparing to Disapparate with him, he wasn't sure if he still wanted this. Right before the drawing room disappeared, Draco saw his mother peering around a corner, looking concerned. Never before had he wanted to run behind his mother, but when the Dark Lord's private quarters materialized around him, that was all he wanted to do.


	29. Twenty Nine

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Twenty-Nine_

Feeling rather bored, Sirius sighed as he stared out the window of an abandoned building that loomed over a dark street. Somewhere behind him, Remus was looking over the map they'd developed for the Order. So far, they'd been standing guard for hours outside a pub that happened to be a known Death Eater haunt, and they hadn't spotted one person who shouldn't have been there. Even if they had seen a Death Eater, it wasn't as if Sirius would be able to help catch them; he'd have to remain under his Invisibility Cloak until Remus could Disapparate back to the cottage with him. He narrowed his eyes at a building across the street and could vaguely make out a head of purple hair. Wasn't this supposed to be an undercover mission? A Death Eater would be able to spot that hair a mile away...

"Moony," Sirius said quietly, not looking away from the other window. "Contact Tonks and tell her if she doesn't change her hair to something less conspicuous, she's fired."

Remus chuckled but did as asked. A few minutes later, he informed Sirius that Tonks told him to "piss off." Sirius stuck his hand out of the cloak and made a rude gesture across the street. He saw Tonks repeat the sentiment before moving away from the window. "You know, there was once a time when she actually respected my authority," Sirius muttered.

Remus smirked. "Which dream world was this, Padfoot?"

"Piss off, Moony."

"Come here and look at this map. I think I've finally got the charms right..." Sirius moved away from the window and went over to the table where Remus had the map spread out on. He could see small dots with labels above them. "Watch this," Remus said, tracing his wand to the map's edge. It began to scroll down through England and stopped over Ottery St. Catchpole where a dot labeled _Harry Potter_ sat beside _Ginevra Weasley, Ronald Weasley, _and _Hermione Granger_.

"Nice one," Sirius said approvingly, thankful that they finally had a way to keep track of their ward. "Did you ever figure out what was going on in Albania?"

Remus shook his head with a sigh. "From what Tonks has told me, she and Kingsley picked up that the werewolf tribes lived on either side of this blank spot where there's just nothing—no trees, no houses... It's just a big circle, really. They thought maybe it was a Fidelius Charm, but if this is somehow Voldemort's hideout, he would use something a lot darker and more complicated just because he can..."

"Any ideas on what he could be using?"

"No, not really... Dumbledore has been looking into it, but I don't even think he has a clue on where to begin."

"Has Dumbledore thought of sending someone out there to check the place out? From what Naomi says, even the Death Eaters don't know where it is," Sirius said.

"He's thought about it, yes, but he's reluctant to send anybody out there. We don't know anything about the charms that could be protecting the place. Not even Naomi can tell us about that..." Sirius noticed a slightly bitter tone in his best friend's voice.

Sirius was going to reply, but Emmeline's voice echoed from the tip of Remus' wand. "Are you two watching the street?" she asked in a hurried whisper.

The two friends raised their eyebrows at one another and rushed to the window. Below them, two men were arguing. One was unfamiliar, but the other Remus had no trouble recognizing. Fenrir Greyback looked livid and rather wild as he screamed at the wizard before him. Remus wondered idly if this was the type of situation in which his father and Greyback had their disagreement. All Remus knew about the altercation was that it had taken place outside his father's bookshop in Diagon Alley. Obviously something rather serious had occurred between them—it had resulted in Greyback's attack on Remus. His parents had thought him too young to tell about the argument. There were many things Remus regretted not having talked to his parents about, and Greyback was one of those things.

He'd learned a lot about the werewolf who'd attacked him as a child, more than the average wizard would care to know, and he knew it didn't take much to anger Greyback. But Greyback usually only bothered to threaten wizards if they had something he wanted terribly. Remus still wasn't sure what his father had had that Greyback would have been interested in, but it may have had something to do with the old bookshop.

"Who's going to follow him?" Sirius asked. "Tonks can arrest him if she catches him doing anything..."

"No," Remus said hoarsely. "Nobody follows Greyback. Tell everyone we're going back to Headquarters."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Aren't we supposed to be tracking Death Eaters? Why can't anybody follow him?"

"I'll explain when we get back to Number Twelve," Remus snapped. "Just get everyone back there."

Sirius found it easiest not to argue with his best friend when he was like this—his face was completely blank, and his jaw was set. Sirius signaled across the street to Tonks, who looked to be preparing to follow the werewolf. The Auror raised an eyebrow at her cousin's signal, but nodded and turned to Sturgis with whom she'd been paired up with that night.

"Ready, Padfoot?" Remus asked after rolling up their large map. Sirius nodded and grasped Remus' upper arm tightly as they prepared to sidelong-Apparate back to Number Twelve. They appeared in the backyard as Emmeline and Tonks Apparated behind them.

"What's going on?" Emmeline asked. "Our shift doesn't end for three more hours."

"Ask Remus," Sirius said, watching Number Twelve materialize before their eyes. Remus entered the backdoor without a word to any of his friends. "He saw Greyback and told me to get everyone out." Emmeline sighed and led the way into the dark house, down to the kitchen, where they found Remus pacing with his hands behind his back.

"Since when are you in charge, Lupin?" Mad-Eye growled, clunking his way down the stairs.

Remus ceased his pacing and calmly turned around to his fellow Order members. "I don't think any of you should go after Greyback," he said quietly, ignoring Mad-Eye completely for the moment. "Find out everything you can about the wizard he was arguing with, but don't follow him. He'll most likely go after the wizard's children if he has any, so that's what we need to concentrate on."

"How do you know he'll attack the kids?" Sturgis asked.

"That's what he does," Remus said. "He attacks when the child is young, and takes them from their parents to raise them to be bitter against wizards."

"And you know this... how?" Sirius asked curiously with a raised eyebrow.

Remus sighed. He'd never told his friends who had bitten him when he was four. "My father knew Greyback. I'm not sure of the circumstances, but there was some sort of argument between them. Greyback grew angry with my father, and on the full moon, he waited in the forest behind our cottage. I don't know if he was planning on breaking into the house, but it doesn't matter—I wandered outside on my own and he attacked me."

Sirius' mouth fell open. "Greyback was the one who turned you?" he whispered. Remus nodded. "Well, you learn something new every day..." Remus didn't even glare at him. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"Wait a second," Mad-Eye interrupted. "I still want to know who died and put Lupin in charge. This could have been our chance to finally catch Greyback, and Lupin decides we should just leave?"

"No one made you leave, Mad-Eye," Sirius said quietly in defense of his friend's actions. "If you're so eager, go find Greyback yourself. I'm actually interested in what Remus has to say."

Mad-Eye growled something inaudible, but made no move to leave. He merely continued to glower at Remus with his normal eye and Sirius with his magical one.

"All I'm saying," Remus began, "is that you all know what Greyback did to the Grangers. I saw it firsthand, as did Sturgis, and I've never seen anything more gruesome in my entire life. And the worst thing about it was that it wasn't even a full moon. If he could do that to a Muggle, he could do it to one of you, and I don't want to see that happen to any of you."

"Remus, we're in the Order regardless of the dangers," Tonks said. "We've all faced something horrible and we can handle Greyback."

"No," Remus said firmly, turning to look at Tonks. "The only person who will follow Greyback is me. I'm already a werewolf, so he can't do much harm to me—the worst that could happen is he'll kill me."

"Oh yeah, that's no risk at all, is it?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

Remus rubbed a hand over his face. "Look, I don't want any of you to have to go through what I do. I don't want to see any of your throats ripped out by a werewolf who doesn't get enough action on the full moon. Greyback is more dangerous than any werewolf alive."

His friends looked at him incredulously. "Remus, you're not going after Greyback alone if that's what you're thinking," Emmeline said. "He'll kill you!"

"I'm aware of that," Remus said calmly, unable to look at her.

"So you'd rather risk your life than have someone go with you?" Sirius asked. "If you're trying to be noble, you can knock it off right now, Remus. I don't know what's gotten into you, but following Greyback is suicide."

"How did we get from finding information on that wizard Greyback was arguing with to Remus following Greyback?" Charlie asked quietly.

Remus didn't answer. He kept his eyes averted from Sirius and Emmeline's piercing gazes, begging him not to do what he was thinking about. Of course it would be suicide; he knew that. He honestly didn't know what he was thinking about doing—he knew Greyback was a maniac and that anyone who went after him would have to be just as crazy to make it out alive; but if it meant saving innocent children from being attacked, then it would be a worthy risk.

Around him, his fellow Order members were having a heated discussion on the subject—Sirius and Emmeline continued to stare him down and he stared back with a blank expression on his face. He could tell that his best friend and girlfriend would do everything in their power to keep him from following Greyback. And if they worked together, Remus would be hard-pressed to resist their arguments. Perhaps he should just skip a stage and drop the whole Greyback issue for the time being. Maybe when Sirius was back to normal, they could go on the mission together—it wasn't often they spent quality time chasing werewolves in their human form.

Remus, Sirius, and Emmeline left Number Twelve with Mad-Eye still glaring at Remus the entire way out. Just before they Apparated to the cottage, Remus sighed. "Before you two even start, you win; I won't go." And then he disappeared with a _pop_.

Sirius and Emmeline looked at each other with raised eyebrows. "Well, that was easy," Sirius said before taking Emmeline's proffered arm and Apparated with her.

* * *

Harry yawned widely as he looked around the living room of the Burrow. Ginny sat on the floor, leaning against his legs, playing a game of Gobstones with Hermione, who was trying to keep Crookshanks away from their game. Ron was in the kitchen trying to get his mother to give him a few slices of the cake she'd just pulled out of the oven. The night had been rather boring—due to a heavy rainstorm, the kids weren't allowed to go out and fly. Fred and George hadn't been seen all day; according to Ginny, they were off checking out locations in Diagon Alley. When asked why they were doing this, Ginny grinned mischievously and changed the subject.

Neither Harry nor Ginny mentioned the incident back at Number Twelve to Ron or Hermione. Ginny had asked him what Sirius and Remus had said after she'd left, but beyond that, the subject hadn't been brought up. Harry obeyed his guardians' wishes and kept things between him and his girlfriend calm. He'd decided over the last few days that what Sirius really needed was his own girlfriend. Remus had Emmeline, Harry had Ginny, and everyone was pretty sure Ron had Hermione, though neither of them came out and said anything about their growing relationship.

But who could Sirius date? The only single witch in the Order that Harry knew anymore was Tonks, and that would just be wrong... Harry would have to talk to Remus about it one of these days. Remus probably knew who Sirius had his eye on in the Ministry...

The backdoor of the Burrow opened and Harry was snapped from his thoughts when Mr. Weasley entered the kitchen. He greeted the kids tiredly and told Harry he could go home if he wanted—Sirius and Remus should be there by now, he said. "I thought you were going to be gone all night?" Harry said to Mr. Weasley as he sat down with a tray of dinner. "That's what Remus said, anyway."

"Well, we were." Mr. Weasley sighed. "But something came up and we had to leave."

"Is everyone okay?" Ginny asked, pushing herself away from Harry's legs.

"Oh yes," Mr. Weasley said hastily. "Yes, everyone is just fine... Well, that's if Mad-Eye doesn't decide to curse Remus at some point in the near future," he added as an afterthought. Harry's eyebrows shot up. "It's nothing to worry about, I don't think. Mad-Eye is just being himself and Remus can handle him just fine."

Harry wasn't convinced, but he nodded. Why would Mad-Eye want to curse Remus? They'd always got on fairly well, and Remus was usually the one to keep Mad-Eye from cursing Sirius. Mrs. Weasley offered Harry some late dinner, but he declined—now he was curious as to what was happening at the cottage. He said good night to Ron and Hermione, quickly kissed Ginny while her parents' backs were turned, and stepped inside the fireplace, calling his address clearly. When he stumbled out of the fireplace, it was to find Remus staring broodingly at the floor, Sirius and Emmeline standing on either side of him as if they'd just given him a lecture.

"Hey. What's going on?" Harry asked cautiously, startling the three adults. Harry raised an eyebrow; hadn't they heard the _whoosh_ of the fireplace? "Is everything all right?"

Sirius looked up and forced a smile on his face. "Yeah, everything's fine, Harry. Did you have a good time at the Burrow today?"

Harry shrugged. "I guess. We couldn't really do anything because of the rain..." He got the impression that his guardians and Emmeline weren't listening to him—Remus hadn't even looked up, and Sirius and Emmeline had gone back to watching him. "Right, well, I'm going to bed. I'll see you guys in the morning, I guess..." None of them reacted. Harry was tempted to slap his godfather just to see if he realized Harry was there, but thought better of it; Sirius didn't seem to be in a playful mood that night. Sighing, Harry walked down the hall to his bedroom, and closed the door. Maybe he could get some answers tomorrow.

* * *

Shortly after Harry had gone to bed, Sirius also called it a night. He thought he'd gotten his point across to Remus about Greyback pretty well, and if he hadn't... Well, he could try again another night. Besides, Emmeline was still working on convincing him to forget his little idea, and Sirius was almost positive that Remus wouldn't be able to resist anything Emmeline wanted him to do, or in this case, not to do.

He checked in on Harry, as he normally did at night, finding the boy already sound asleep. He didn't know anybody who could fall asleep as quickly as Harry. The boy was quite lucky to not have had a dream concerning Voldemort in months. The last one Sirius was aware of was on Christmas Eve, and Harry hadn't even been sure if that was a Voldemort vision—it wasn't like any other vision he'd had, even though his scar had bothered him a bit afterwards. Sirius was sure Harry hadn't been having the dreams because of the Occlumency lessons Emmeline had been giving him three times a week. Emmeline told the boy's guardians that he was doing quite well. He still had a long way to go before he mastered the skill of Occlumency, but at the rate he was going, she gave him another year before he reached that point. Emmeline also said Harry's mind was unusually strong for a wizard his age. When Sirius asked exactly what this meant, the witch said it meant Harry would become a very powerful wizard within the next four years. When asked how she knew this, she answered that a wizard's power could be measured by how strong their mind was. At this, Remus laughed, saying Sirius wasn't as powerful as they'd thought him to be.

Sirius closed Harry's door and went down the hall to his own room, where he found a small brown owl waiting for him on the desk. He smiled at the bird, already knowing who it was from, and untied the letter from the owl's extended leg. He waited for the owl to fly off again, but it seemed to have been instructed to remain until Sirius sent a reply. The wizard rolled his eyes, handed the bird a few owl treats, and sat at his desk to read the letter. He looked over his shoulder briefly as he heard Remus and Emmeline going to their bedroom as well and hoped his best friend didn't decide to pop in for a late night chat—Sirius had no way to hide this letter or the owl that had brought it, and Remus probably wouldn't be too happy with either.

He chuckled as he read the letter, and searched his desk for new parchment and his favorite quill, and began to write his reply.

* * *

Remus was changing into his pajamas and could feel Emmeline staring at his back. Even though he'd told her and Sirius ten times that night that he wouldn't follow Greyback alone, they still didn't seem to believe him. He didn't know how many more different ways he could assure them. Sirius knew him well enough to know he wasn't going to let something this important just go away so easily, and Emmeline was learning this very quickly.

He turned around and went to his side of the bed, pulling down the blankets and climbing in. Emmeline sat up beside him, her knees pulled to her chest, a worried look on her face. Remus turned to her. "What can I do to convince you I'm not going to do this alone?" he asked quietly.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sighed. "Promise me," she whispered.

"That's it? Just a promise?" She nodded. "Okay," he said, sitting up. He pulled her closer and looked into her eyes. "Emmeline, I promise you that I will not go looking for Greyback alone. I won't follow him, either. But if something happens to anyone in the Order because of him, you can't just expect me to sit here..."

"The hell I can't," Emmeline said. "You're not the only person who wants to see Greyback get what he deserves, Remus. Granted, you have more reason than the rest of us, but that shouldn't drive you to get yourself killed. And that is what will happen if you go after him. You say you don't want the rest of us hurt or turned into werewolves, but what about you? I don't want to see you hurt or dead, and neither do Sirius or Harry, or anyone else in the Order for that matter. This isn't just about you, Remus..."

"I never said it was," Remus muttered. "But I know Greyback... I know how he operates—"

"But you don't even know what your father did to offend him, do you? You don't know what this wizard tonight did to set him off, either. All you know, and don't try to argue this, is that he enjoys attacking children. And he enjoys killing when the moon isn't full... I agree, he's dangerous; he's probably the most dangerous weapon Voldemort has, but that should be more reason for you to not want to do this alone."

"Emmeline, he doesn't just enjoy killing... It arouses him. For him, killing is better than sex; and yes, I do know that to be fact. When I was with the Albanian werewolves, the Alpha male told me a lot about Fenrir Greyback that I won't repeat to you, but Hermione's mother was not the first person he ever attacked in that manner." Remus' tone was full of disgust and bitterness. There was nothing in the world that could drive him to nearly getting himself killed quicker than Fenrir Greyback. He'd been the cause of most of the misery Remus encountered in his life, and he was the one who kept Remus from having a normal life. If there was a way Remus could ensure no other child would have to go through that, he would do so in a heartbeat.

Emmeline sighed. "Look, can we just drop this for now? I've got your word that you won't go after him alone, and that's all I need." She reached across Remus and switched off the bedside lamp before making herself comfortable against his chest. He smiled into the dark room, and tightened his grip around her waist. "I love you," she whispered, kissing his bare chest.

"I love you too," he replied softly, closing his eyes.

* * *

Somewhere in a dark castle, Lord Voldemort was formulating a plan. He was certain it would be a success; granted, he may need to tweak certain circumstances just a touch to obtain the desired results. But everything was falling into place nicely, and whether they knew it or not, the Order of the Phoenix was no closer to defeating him than they were to domesticating trolls. He allowed himself a cold chuckle at the image of Dumbledore having a troll with a leash around its neck. A more amusing thought was Dumbledore with a leash around _his_ neck and the troll having power over the wizard.

But he digressed...

He'd learned much about his young adversary, Harry Potter, over the years. Lucius' son had reported to his father even before having received the Dark Mark, and would now report directly to the Dark Lord himself, once the new Hogwarts term began. Of course, it wasn't only Harry Potter who Draco would be keeping an eye on; even though he'd been forgiven, something generally very much unheard of by Death Eaters, Severus Snape was still at the top of the Dark Lord's watch list. Any one of his followers who was in such close proximity to Dumbledore would need to be watched closely. Dumbledore had a way of turning people to his side...

Again, he was off topic. If he wanted this to work, he'd need to remain focused, but the plan was so exciting and there were many things that would happen as a result of its success...

One, of course, would be the permanent disposal of one of his long time enemies. Another would be the chance to find out whether Harry Potter's Occlumency lessons had been effective. Not that it would matter, of course; Lord Voldemort could do anything, and there wasn't a soul who could stop him. Oh, they could think they would defeat him in time; in fact, he wanted them to think that. But in reality, Voldemort hadn't even begun to release the real horrors he possessed in this war. Very soon, they would realize what they were up against, and would have to drastically rethink their tactics...


	30. Thirty

_**Consequences**_

By Neurotica

_Thirty_

"Harry, are you all right?"

Harry snapped his eyes away from the spot on the carpet he'd been staring at for the last thirty minutes and looked over at Remus. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine," he said quietly and unconvincingly.

Remus nodded and continued to watch the teenager, who turned back to the carpet. In four days, Harry would be turning sixteen, and he didn't seem nearly as excited as he ought to be. In fact, Harry looked as though he was coming down with a summer cold. Emmeline had felt his forehead at breakfast that morning, but she said he'd felt normal. Even Molly Weasley was worrying about him—well, more than normal, that is. Harry'd gone over to the Burrow the night before while Sirius, Remus, and Emmeline had gone for their stake out duty. She hadn't allowed him to go out and fly with the others, so Harry had spent most of his evening under a tree reading over Hermione's shoulder. Originally, Remus had thought Harry was only worried about Sirius, but even Sirius was noticing something was wrong with his godson.

"Did you finish your summer coursework?" Remus asked, attempting conversation.

He wasn't sure if Harry had even heard him, though. Finally, the boy nodded silently.

Remus sighed. "Hagrid will be here for you birthday," he tried again.

"That's nice," Harry said tonelessly. He seemed to shake himself from his daze moments later and looked up, smiling. "Hagrid's coming, eh? Brilliant... I missed him."

Remus narrowed his eyes and frowned at Harry's sudden change in mood, but before he could say anything, Sirius popped his head into the living room. "Dinner's ready. I had to make it the Muggle way, so if you don't like it... Well, I don't give a damn. Come eat."

* * *

Remus and Emmeline entered the Leaky Cauldron the next afternoon and found that Tom had finally gained back a few of his patrons. Though the witches and wizards inside the pub looked over their shoulders nervously every few seconds, Tom had never looked happier. He positively beamed when he spotted Remus and Emmeline and cheerfully led the couple to a table in the corner. They ordered their meals, though they hadn't planned to eat out, and sipped at the butterbeers Tom had given them on the house.

"How could you possibly turn him down?" Emmeline whispered to Remus, looking over his shoulder at Tom who was whistling gleefully. "He probably hasn't had a customer in months, and now he's got ten people to take care of."

Remus smiled. "Tom is a good man. Sirius, James, Peter, and I used to get a room here for the last week of the summer holidays, and Tom pretended to turn a blind eye whenever Sirius and James decided to prank the others staying here. Come to think of it, I think Tom may have actually been involved in some of those pranks... What's wrong?" he added, noticing Emmeline's face harden and turn into a glare over his shoulder. He slowly looked over his own shoulder and spotted Naomi at the bar, loading up a tray of food.

Remus sighed and turned back to the table. Emmeline and Naomi seemed to have had a silent feud of wills going on between them of late. After an Order meeting one night, Remus had walked into the drawing room of Number Twelve and found the two witches very red in their faces, as if they'd just had a long, heated argument. Emmeline hadn't told him what had happened between her and Naomi, and Remus didn't press the subject, unsure if he even wanted to know.

Naomi walked over to their table gracefully, carrying their tray of lunch, and sat it down between Remus and Emmeline. She didn't make any sign of acknowledgement to either of them except a glare over her shoulder to match Emmeline's as she went back to the bar.

"Do you ever plan on telling me what happened between you two?" Remus asked quietly.

"Nope," Emmeline responded lightly, taking a bite of her salad and smiling.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Okay, then," he said before starting his own meal.

They finished their lunch in semi-silence and Remus paid before they went into Diagon Alley to pick up Harry's birthday present. Sirius and Remus had always known what they were going to get Harry for his sixteenth birthday. Actually, this gift had been planned since before Harry was even born. Lily and James had worked on it the entire time Lily was pregnant. Naomi, Julia, and the other Marauders had helped with it as well, and Harry was sure to love it. James had always hoped Harry wouldn't have to even get the gift—he was only supposed to receive it if something happened to his parents. But as the war lessened their chances of survival, Lily made Remus, Sirius, and Peter promise they would give it to her son on his sixteenth birthday and not a day earlier. Peter obviously could no longer participate, but Remus and Sirius had been looking forward to going into the Potters' Gringotts vault to retrieve it for years.

Remus and Emmeline walked up the white stone steps of the wizard bank and were greeted by Bill upon their entrance. The eldest Weasley child led them to the bank's carts and took them to what was now Harry's vault. Harry had never had any reason to visit the vault left to him by his parents—Sirius and Remus provided his pocket money and took care of Hogwarts expenses. Sirius wanted Harry to have the gold for after he left Hogwarts so he'd never have to worry about living on his own when he chose to move out of the cottage.

Bill took Harry's vault key from Remus, unlocked the vault door, and allowed the wizard to enter. Remus found the box in a corner of the vault and smiled, thinking of Harry's reaction when he laid eyes on its contents. Remus and Emmeline thanked Bill for taking them to the vault, knowing full well the goblins' security measures shouldn't have allowed Remus to enter another's vault. Bill said it was no trouble, and he'd see them at Harry's party in a few days. He'd be bringing his girlfriend for everybody to meet—apparently, he'd been teaching her English for a few years since she was from France, and he couldn't wait to introduce her to his friends and family.

* * *

Sirius sat at the kitchen table in the Burrow drinking tea with Molly and Arthur. The Weasley children, Harry, and Hermione had gone out for a fly, even though Molly had wanted Harry to stay inside and lay down.

"And you're sure he's not ill, Sirius?" Molly asked worriedly for the tenth time that day, glancing out the window over her husband's shoulder.

Sirius shrugged as he sipped his tea. "He says he's fine, and Emmeline looked him over twice last night and this morning—she says he's fine too. I honestly don't know what's wrong with him. One minute he's stuck in daze, and the next minute, he's back to normal."

"Has he been practicing his Occlumency?" Arthur asked, reaching for a biscuit in the middle of the table.

"Yeah, Emmeline increased his lessons, and says he's getting much better—she can barely get into his mind before he throws her out. In fact, the other night he actually pushed her out so forcefully that she was thrown back against the wall." Molly gasped. "She was fine," Sirius said dismissively. "She seemed impressed by it actually..."

"I wish he'd let me look him over nonetheless," Molly said.

Sirius grinned. "Molly, Harry is just as stubborn as James was. He doesn't like being fussed over, and the only time he'll see a Healer is if he's unconscious."

* * *

Harry skidded to a stop on his broomstick, looking around for a glint of the golden snitch while his friends continued to play below him. He'd noticed the adults in his life—Sirius, Remus, Emmeline, the Weasleys—had been watching him with worried expressions when they thought he wasn't looking, and he wasn't sure why. He'd been asked more times than he could count if he felt okay, and though he assured them he did, they didn't stop glancing at him every few seconds.

Squinting at the bright sunlight, Harry absentmindedly rubbed at his lightning bolt scar as he searched for the snitch. On the far end of the Weasley's orchard, Ginny flew around a charmed hoop that moved on its own, making the Keeper work hard to protect it. Ron flew around an identical hoop on the other end, trying to keep George, who had possession of the quaffle, from scoring. Fred was dodging a bludger charmed to chase him as he chased his twin.

Harry looked down automatically to a tree where Hermione sat under shady branches, reading a book. Hermione kept mostly to herself these days, and though she had put up a good show when Harry and Sirius arrived earlier in the day; she obviously hadn't been the same since her parents' deaths. She'd told her friends that she'd decided to remain in England so she could continue to attend Hogwarts. Her remaining family tried to convince her otherwise, but she felt safer staying with her friends. Besides, if she was to move to France, she'd have to transfer to Beauxbatons, and Hermione hadn't been too fond of any of Madame Maxime's students when they'd visited Hogwarts during the Triwizard Tournament.

"Harry! Look out!" Ginny shouted from her hoop. Harry snapped his head up from Hermione's tree and spotted a bludger coming straight towards him. His eyes widened as he pushed the tip of his Firebolt down, and began to dive away from the bludger. He heard the black iron ball soar over his head and pulled back up to steady his broomstick. He sighed, thinking how close that had been, when he felt something hard hit him in the small of his back, sending him falling to the ground.

* * *

Nymphadora Tonks stared with narrowed eyes over the top of her cubicle wall as Dawlish entered Sirius' office with Rufus Scrimgeour. Despite Sirius' decision to keep Scrimgeour far away from his Aurors, it had only taken a month for Dawlish to convince Minister Bones that the former British Auror was much needed. According to a few higher-ups in the Auror squads, Bones was completely behind Sirius' decision concerning Scrimgeour, but Dawlish had a good argument: without Sirius, the "heart and soul of the Aurors," the Ministry needed everyone they could get. Tonks knew for a fact that Dawlish didn't give a damn about the status of Sirius' health; he'd wanted the Head Auror job for years, and Tonks had heard him talking to another Auror about what he would do as Head of the Department.

Tonks was reporting to her cousin twice a week about the goings on in Auror Headquarters, but if she told him Scrimgeour was there to meet with Dawlish, Sirius was liable to rush into the Ministry and curse both wizards all the way back to Australia. Well, he couldn't really curse them, but he could definitely put them in St. Mungo's for a few weeks. Tonks knew some good hexes, and she wouldn't hesitate to use them to help out her favorite cousin.

"You know, spying in the Ministry is illegal," said a quiet, amused voice from behind her. For a flash, she thought of Kingsley, but her stomach filled with lead when she realized it was only Remus and Emmeline standing in her cubicle.

She turned around and sat in her desk chair, glaring playfully at her two fellow Order members. "I'm on orders from Sirius to keep an eye on Dawlish, thankyouverymuch. And it's a damn good thing I am, when the first thing that idiot is doing as temporary Head Auror is overruling Sirius' decision about Scrimgeour."

Remus frowned. "Rufus Scrimgeour is here? Why?" he asked sharply.

"I think Dawlish is trying to bring him back. They've been in a meeting all day with the Minister, and when they got back in here fifteen minutes ago, they were both wearing very smug looks on their ugly faces that I wanted to hex right off," Tonks said. "But of course I can't, since Dawlish technically has the power to have me sacked."

"Sirius isn't going to like this," Emmeline said quietly. "Dawlish can't bring Aurors in, can he? He's only acting Head Auror..."

"Dawlish can't, but Bones can. Scrimgeour worked under Bones when she was still head of the DMLE. From what James and Sirius told us when they first came into the Ministry, Bones wasn't ever too fond of Scrimgeour, but in public she acted the part to keep from having to explain why she didn't like him. Scrimgeour was nominated to be Bones' successor when she got the Minster post, but Mad-Eye was able to veto that, and put Emerson as the DMLE head and Sirius as Head Auror," Remus explained. "That's when Scrimgeour left. He'd been passed up twice and apparently, that didn't sit too well with him." He looked over at the closed door of Sirius' office. "If Bones does bring Scrimgeour in for whatever reason, don't be surprised if Sirius comes in here ready to fight—he can't stand Scrimgeour."

Tonks grinned. "Sirius called him a dirty, sad excuse of a lion, with that beard and hair of his."

Remus nodded thoughtfully. "That about sums it up, actually," he said.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Tonks asked, still grinning.

"We were just checking into our departments to make sure no one's screwing off in our absence," Emmeline began.

Remus raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend's choice of words. "You've been spending too much time with Sirius," he muttered amusedly.

Emmeline continued with a smirk. "Also, we've been asked to inform you of an Order meeting tonight," she said in a whisper so she wouldn't be overheard. Tonks nodded and changed the subject to Harry's upcoming birthday party immediately as Dawlish and Scrimgeour exited the Head Auror's office.

* * *

"Honestly, Molly," Sirius said, lowering his godson's unconscious form into the boy's bed at the cottage. "Harry's fine. You fixed his broken bones, and now the most he'll have when he wakes up is a nasty headache from the fall. And we've got plenty of headache potions to take care of that."

Molly bit her lip, her eyes filled with concern. "Perhaps I should just stick around for a bit. The kids are perfectly fine at home with Arthur and they can fend for themselves for dinner."

"Molly," Sirius said patiently. "I do appreciate the concern, really I do, but Remus and Emmeline will be home soon, and I think myself perfectly capable of watching an unconscious teenager."

Molly sighed. "Well, if you're sure."

"I'm sure," Sirius said with a smile, leading the Weasley matriarch to the fireplace. "We'll see you at the meeting tonight and Harry will be just fine."

Molly nodded, still visibly concerned, and took some Floo powder from the bowl Sirius offered her. She stepped into the fireplace and clearly said, "The Burrow," before throwing the powder at her feet and disappearing in a whirl of green flames.

Sirius shook his head and sighed. He really did appreciate Molly's concern when it came to Harry, but sometimes she did overreact. Of course, Sirius hadn't acted too calmly when Hermione came running to the Burrow to tell the adults that Harry'd fallen from his broom. Harry had a few broken bones, and probably a concussion, but Molly had patched him up on sight. The boy had endured much worse injuries during Quidditch before—when he was nine, he'd decided he wanted to fly during a strong wind and fell nearly thirty feet to the grass; when he was eleven, just three weeks before he'd left for Hogwarts, George had accidentally hit him in the head with a beater's bat; before his third year, he'd been concentrating so hard on catching the snitch that he hadn't seen the tree until he ran into it headfirst. All of these incidents had resulted in nothing more than a few broken bones, a bad headache, and a lecture from Remus about being careful when he was flying.

Sirius retrieved a bottle of butterbeer from the kitchen and went in to check on Harry. His godson seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully. Sirius pulled off Harry's glasses, folded them, and laid them beside Harry's wand on the bedside table.

Sirius still couldn't see how this boy, his godson, was to be expected to defeat Lord Voldemort. There'd been many late-night discussions between Remus and Sirius, too many to count, about how Harry would manage it and live to tell about it later. So far, they hadn't come up with much—the prophecy hadn't exactly given Harry clear instructions on what to do. There was no "point wand here" or "use this spell." Sirius wouldn't let Harry use _Avada Kedavra_ unless there was no other way.

Sirius hadn't ever used the Killing Curse in all his years as an Auror, but James had used it once, just before Harry was born. A Death Eater had found Lily in one of the Order's safe houses, and James burst into the room as the Death Eater started to use the same spell on her. Afterwards, James said there had been no decision to make—that Death Eater was about to murder his wife and unborn child. Back then, it was legal for an Auror to use Unforgivables against Death Eaters, so there'd been no repercussions against James. He made Sirius swear not to tell anybody, not even Remus or Peter, about what he'd done. Mad-Eye and Dumbledore were the only ones besides Sirius and Lily who'd known. James felt no guilt for killing that Death Eater, only because Lily had been in danger. If that hadn't been the case, James would have just stunned the other wizard and taken him to Azkaban as he'd done with other Death Eaters before that night.

After making sure Harry was comfortable, Sirius went back to his own room for a nap. Remus and Emmeline would wake him when they got back, and he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before anyway. He took his wand, which he only carried out of habit anymore, out of his back pocket, checking to be sure both buttocks were still in place, and sat it on his desk. He lay down with a sigh and got comfortable before closing his eyes.

* * *

It only seemed like a few minutes since he'd fallen asleep when Sirius snapped his grey eyes open again. He could see the sun was beginning to set outside, meaning he'd slept longer than he'd intended. His brow furrowed and he frowned as he stared straight up at the ceiling—something wasn't right... When he heard the heavy, raspy breathing, Sirius lifted his head and looked towards his door, fear setting in. He sighed in relief and laughed a little when he saw was it was only Harry standing before him.

"Hey, kid," he said, sitting up fully. "How're you feeling?" Harry didn't answer, but stared at Sirius blankly. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Harry... maybe you should go back and lie down. You're still looking a bit peaky..."

Harry, it seemed, had another idea. The teenager slowly lifted his right arm, as if he was fighting a losing battle with himself, and pointed his wand at his godfather. "Harry," Sirius gulped, eyeing the wand warily. "What are you doing? Lower your wand, please." Sirius looked up to his godson's eyes and felt his heart stop beating. He'd just seen what Dumbledore had explained to him years ago—he'd just seen a flash of red pass through Harry's emerald green eyes. "Harry," Sirius said urgently, scooting forward on the bed slowly. "Harry, listen to me. Whatever's going on, you can fight it, you _have _to fight it! Harry, it's me... it's Padfoot. Please, Harry, lower your wand..."

Harry didn't seem to be listening, though; a dark grin spread across his face, filling Sirius' insides with a haunting chill. "You've interfered with my plans for much too long, Black," Harry said in a cold, high-pitched voice that wasn't his. By now, Sirius was shaking horribly, unable to protect himself with magic—should he try and tackle Harry? "It's now time for you to join the Mudbloods and blood traitors you tried to protect... Farewell, Sirius Black." Before Sirius could decide what to do, Harry raised his wand, pointing it directly at Sirius' heart. Harry opened his mouth again.

"_Avada Ked–_"

"_STUPEFY!_"

A red jet of light shot from the hallway and Harry fell to the floor, his wand rolling under the bed. Sirius remained on the bed where he stared straight ahead, wide-eyed and breathless. Remus and Emmeline rushed into the bedroom looking exactly how Sirius felt.

"Are you all right?" Remus asked breathlessly to Sirius. Sirius could only nod, unable to find his voice.

He tried to process what had just happened—his godson had tried to kill him—as Emmeline floated the boy's once again unconscious form onto his bed. "He just... He tried..." Sirius croaked. "Harry..."

"Shh," Remus said, sitting beside Sirius on the bed. "Just... Just try and relax, eh?"

"I saw..." Sirius tried again, ignoring what Remus was saying. "There was red... his eyes... I think... I think Voldemort possessed him..."

* * *

As he slept, Peter Pettigrew did something he hadn't done in years: He dreamt. He was dreaming of a past life, in which he was happy, and he had people who cared for him, even loved him. There were animals in his dream: a stag, a wolf, a dog, and a rat. The four animals were running through a forest under the light of the full moon, and Peter felt a serenity like no other overcome him. He hoped he would remember the dream when he woke—when he slept he was free; but when he was awake, he was in a dark prison with no means of escape—but chances were high that he would not. The only memory he had was of a white-haired woman who spoke to him sometimes. He felt as if he'd known her many, many years ago, but he wasn't sure. He liked her, though, and hoped she would visit again soon.

* * *

The woman on Peter's mind entered her dark London flat just past two in the morning. She desperately wanted to sleep in her own bed for a change—for the past week, she'd been staying in the Dark Lord's hideout, working on mission plans. She'd known the Dark Lord would attempt to break into Harry's mind, but she hadn't known when—the Dark Lord said he was waiting for the "right time." Apparently, the right time meant when Sirius was defenseless and Remus was conveniently absent. She noticed the Dark Lord meditating the last few day—at least she thought he'd been meditating…...

All of the Death Eaters, including Lucius Malfoy, had been instructed not to interrupt him. Doing so would bring a severe punishment upon the offender. Naomi should have known that something horrible was going to happen, but she'd been so busy pouring over maps that she hadn't had a chance to find out what that something was. Some of the others were growing suspicious of her—particularly Bellatrix Lestrange. Of course, Bella was suspicious of any Death Eater who left the Dark Lord's hideout for more than a day. Naomi had to be careful how she did things when it came to gathering information for the Order from now on—Bellatrix was infamous for acting rashly against though who double-crossed her...

* * *

Draco Malfoy tentatively touched the blackened skin on his left forearm, still tender and bleeding from the application of the Dark Mark a few days before. The Dark Lord had marked him as one of his followers and Draco already had his first assignment—no one else would be able to pull this off and Draco felt better about his decision every time he thought about the trust the Dark Lord had put in him.

His mother hadn't been so thrilled with the news, but Draco suspected she'd get over it with time—she'd have to; the only way to stop being a Death Eater once one had the Dark Mark was death. Death would be a very high risk in this mission of Draco's, but he was prepared to do whatever it took to see it was completed perfectly, and the more Mudblood lovers he took down on his way, the better. The war was only beginning, and Draco Malfoy would be there every step of the way, right beside his father, fighting for the right side of the war. The war was only beginning and Draco Malfoy was ready...

End


End file.
